Leann Stiver was rarely tested in the cage Sunday. The suffocating Syracuse defense intercepted numerous Ohio passes and constantly pressured the Bobcats into turnovers.

Stiver only faced three shots on goal, but when Ohio did threaten, she was ready to make the stop.

“The less I have to touch the ball, the happier I am,” Stiver said. “There were few times I had to step up.

“I’m glad we had a pretty strong defense in front of me.”

Stiver and the Orange recorded their first shutout of the season, a 6-0 win over Ohio, on Sunday in front of 293 at J. Stanley Coyne Stadium. SU outshot Ohio 27-4 as the defense set up a scoring outburst for the offense. The victory, which was Stiver’s 13th career shutout, extended the team’s winning streak at home to 29 games.

The SU backline, led by Iona Holloway and Laura Hahnefeldt, controlled the Ohio attack, repeatedly denying the Bobcats’ opportunities in the offensive zone.

“Our defense starts with our front and our forwards did a nice job of closing lines,” SU head coach Ange Bradley said. “They all really stepped up well.”

The game was a defensive battle early in the first half with neither team scoring until SU midfielder Leonie Geyer found the back of the net off a penalty corner just more than 15 minutes into the game.

Sophomore Jordan Page and junior Anna Crumb gave SU a 3-0 lead at halftime. The Orange jumped out to a five-goal lead five minutes into the second half. Freshman Gillian Pinder scored Syracuse’s last two goals, with the final score of the game coming in the 60th minute.

“I thought we started strong and finished strong,” Bradley said.

By Pinder’s second goal, SU was already cruising behind its dominant defense.

After the Orange came up with one of their many intercepted passes in the second half, Ohio head coach Neil Macmillan threw his hands up in frustration along the sideline.

The Bobcats couldn’t break through against Stiver and the Orange defense, which Bradley said was focused on playing for all 70 minutes. After relenting “a silly goal” during Friday’s win at Monmouth, the head coach was pleased with the unit’s performance Sunday.

Holloway was relentless in the backfield. With eight minutes left in the game, her tough defense during a two-on-two forced a shot that Stiver saved with her blocker.

“We were really disappointed we let in one goal against Monmouth,” Holloway said. “We love a shutout at Coyne and we’re really happy we came away with that.”

Stiver, Holloway and the SU defense set the tone for an experienced team with championship aspirations.

“We’re looking to go completely undefeated on this field this year,” Stiver said. “It’s just an amazing feeling to step out here and take the first step in that path.”

Published on August 27, 2012 at 1:30 am

Contact Phil: [email protected] | @PhilDAbb