Amanda Gallow’s goal in the 28th minute after a George Washington goalkeeping mishandle proved to be the difference as the Dayton Flyers bested the Colonials 1-0 to stay in the driver’s seat in the A10 standings. With the win, UD improves to 7-4-2 (5-1-0) while GW falls to 9-8-0 (2-5-0).

From the moment the match kicked off, Dayton looked like the better side. Better tactics, better shape and organization, and a better idea of what to do once they had possession. The Colonials got off to a very slow start and didn’t look like a team that would eventually threaten later in the second half, but as the first 45 minutes played out, the Flyers had a firm handle on the run of play despite the lack of quality scoring chances.

With good possession, UD kicked the ball around and found space where GW lost their defensive shape in the latter half of the field. Utilizing freshman Colleen Gibson’s north/south dribbling attack and fellow frosh Caitlin Proffitt’s muscle to push people around, it seemed like only a matter of time before the Flyers would score. But as the half continued, it wasn’t happening because execution inside the 18 just wasn’t as sharp as it needed to be. Several balls were placed in the box but no one with a red shirt could find the end of one and put a chance away.

The good news was Dayton didn’t appear rattled. They kept at it and some persistence eventually paid off in the 28th minute as UD played a cross in the box from the left side that caught GW goalkeeper Amie Kern off guard. She bobbled the ball — a ball she should have handled — and lost the ball behind her. Amanda Gallow pinched in a half-volley from directly in front of the goal line to give the Flyers a 1-0 advantage.

All signs indicated more goals were to come, but the half played out without another score. UD controlled the boxscore with an impressive 10-1 shot advantage and 4-0 advantage in corner kicks. The Colonials never threatened the entire half and Dayton stood a great chance of blowing this one out in the second half.

The first couple minutes of the second half caught UD off guard but the Flyers regained control and looked to the feet of Caitlin Proffitt who was holding defenders off with her size and dishing to teammates making runs. And when the runs weren’t there, Proffitt took it herself and plowed through defenders on her own.

As the match wore on however UD’s ship began taking on water and listing to one side. Things got flat and over the last 30 minutes of the game, GW ramped up their effort and played Dayton relatively even. Over the last 15 minutes, GW had an equal number of dangerous scoring chances — mostly on breakaways as they punted from the back and tried to counter quickly. That’s a tactic UD fans have seen more and more of as the season has progressed, but UD remains a step slow in transition defense, almost getting burned on a couple of occasions as GW sent a streaking player forward.

As one of the few players capable of dynamic creativity on any possession, Gibson tried her best to juke through the Colonial defense, but much of it looked like it was happening in an isolation chamber with little movement off the ball to give Gibson a reason to dump it off. With no reason to dish, she continued to drive as she does so well, but GW read it better later in the game and took much of it away by game end.

The Flyers had a couple good chances to push the score to 2-0 in the second half but couldn’t convert. The best opportunity came on junior April Carbajal’s flick from 15yds out to an open net as Kern raced from her goal. The ball bounced off the far post and Kern retreated to grab the ricochet just as another Flyer approached to finish off the rebound.

Dayton managed to use up some clock on corner kicks and throw-ins to salt the last 10 minutes of the game away, but the win didn’t come as easy as it appeared it would in the first half. Perhaps it was UD tailing off or GW waking up — the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. UD finished with a decisive 24-8 shot advantage and 10-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Mandi Back is taking her freshman licks and still has a learning curve to overcome to acclimate herself to the physical nature of competitive D-I soccer. The Flyers need her to win more balls and hold possession much better because she has the talent to be a reliable scorer. She recorded a team-best six shots Friday evening, but will find more dangerous opportunities as she adds muscle and runs through contact.

From an effort standpoint, Gallow did a nice job on the right side and her speed is a commodity this team cannot afford to lose. The gold star of the evening however was Proffitt, who ran onto the field to start the game and never stopped running. She ran around people, over people, through people, and between people while selling out for loose balls and keeping every defender honest. The boxscore shows just one shot for a night’s work, but Proffitt had her best match of the season that cannot be quantified by stats alone. If she plays like that all the time, she will be force in the A10 much sooner than some have already predicted.

No-shows on Friday evening were Kim Sacher and Tasha Dittamore. Sacher was in the penalty box for last weekend’s red card while Dittamore remains injured from a fall last week in goal. Her prognosis from the terrace does not look day-to-day, but week-to-week. Natalia Walters has been absent of late and presumed injured as well.

The Flyers can hold on to the top spot in the conference with a victory over LaSalle on Sunday afternoon. There are no second chances for Dayton so Head Coach Mike Tucker’s team must be absolutely perfect to end the year to guarantee themselves an A10 regular season titile. Every match will be tough, especially because of UD’s short bench. There is a Flyer MASH unit currently occupying the sidelines.

Visit the UDPride women’s soccer forum for video from tonight’s match.