Quinn Erim's two goals leads Harpeth Hall past Baylor for DII-AA girls soccer title

Meggie Lucas knew she had something special with her team the first week of the season.

After those first practices and first few games, Lucas thought that a state championship wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

That realization came true Friday night as Harpeth Hall (12-0-3) beat Baylor 2-0 for the Division II-AA girls soccer state championship at CHI Memorial Stadium in Chattanooga. 

The win by the Bears was their first since 2013.

"Baylor was a tough team and they were really gritty," Lucas said. "They were very physical and had a lot of talent up top. We were able to punch in as score quickly but the game was back-and-forth the entire time."

Quinn Erim was the one who got Harpeth Hall off to a flying start against Baylor (16-2-2). 

Two and a half minutes into the game, Erim sent a one-touch shot past keeper Campbell Hoss from 34 yards out to put the Bears up 1-0. 

The two sides went back-and-forth for the rest of the half with Harpeth Hall holding a narrow 5-4 to edge in shots before taking the one-goal lead into the half.

"We had outstanding play from our goalkeeper and backline to keep them off of the board," Lucas said. "Our midfield was up and back the entire time and I honestly don't know how they ran as much as they did."

Harpeth Hall continued to push the attack in the second half before Erim found the back of the net again. 

Beating the Baylor defender in a one-on-one situation, Erim put the finishing touch on the Bears' memorable night with 11 minutes remaining. 

"Today was such a good day," Lucas said. "We knew it was a long season and we had to put it all together and we did that. I have an amazing coach who can build things off of each other week-to-week but the girls really responded.

"Our seniors, in every role that was needed, stepped up and created a chemistry on the team that allowed us to go hard every single day but also allowed us to enjoy doing it. That got us here."

Reach Joe Spears at jspears2@gannett.com or 731-343-4923. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @joe_spears7.