Someone must not have told the Georgetown men’s soccer team that the early bird catches the worm. Or rather, that the birds get the early goals.

Against the No. 15 Creighton Bluejays (8-2-3, 3-0-0 Missouri Valley), the Hoyas surrendered six goals and were shut out in their sloppiest performance of the year, only one week after a gritty 1-0 win over Notre Dame.

The Hoyas’ bad habit of surrendering early goals struck at the 2:05 mark when Bluejay senior forward Brian Biggerstaff put in a header off of a corner kick by senior defender and captain atthew Wieland.

Two minutes and 43 seconds later, Wieland took a feed from sophomore midfielder Tony Schmitz and laced a short shot off the post. Georgetown never had momentum after that goal, allowing Creighton to keep the ball in their offensive zone for stretches of six and eight minutes in the first half without regaining possession.

Depleted by injuries, the Hoya defense looked sluggish and porous. “Jeff [Curtin] didn’t play in the back and he’s our superstar. It was tough not having him the back with me, especially with all the young guys we had to plug in,” junior Georgetown defender Tim Convey said.

Struggling and collapsing at times, the defense put junior keeper Andrew Keszler in difficult situations all day.

“We didn’t really give [Keszler] a chance today,” Convey said. “Six goals – they weren’t his fault, but it’s going to look like it in the box score.”

Conversely, Creighton remained solid and united. Maintaining their marks and defending the ball high, the Bluejays operated like a well-oiled machine. Indeed, their jerseys carry a symbol of 11 dots forming a pyramid and read “Eleven as One.”

“The timeliness of our goals really helped our team energy,” Creighton Head Coach Bob Warming said. “We used to be a slow starting team for a while and we’ve made a commitment within our team to not be that way any longer and that has been huge for us the last five games.”

With 20 seconds left in the first half, Georgetown was resigned to letting the time burn off. But Creighton had other ideas. In an attempt to clear the ball, the Hoyas sent the ball back toward their own net on a sloppy header and miscue between Keszler and the defense. Only a last second full extension dive by Keszler to punch the ball out of bounds inches from the post saved the Hoyas from an embarrassing own goal.

Though they didn’t capitalize immediately off of the Hoyas’ sloppiness, the Bluejays found the net just 13 seconds later on the subsequent corner kick. Junior Bluejay defender Ryan Junge fired a ground ball from 18 yards out, and the shot rolled past countless Hoyas who seemed unable to do anything but watch. Keszler made an attempt at a diving save but fell short by almost a foot. That goal silenced even the sparse Hoya Hooligan crowd who sat for most of the remainder of the game.

After the half, a quick goal in the 48th minute by junior forward Jarod Tarver set the tone for the rest of the game. Creighton substituted often and dominated ball control, limiting Georgetown to one shot on goal. Soon after, Georgetown senior midfielder Ethan Caskey fired a strong shot on goal but sent it high over the crossbar from 40 yards out. That proved to be the best scoring opportunity the Hoyas would have all day.

The highlight of the game was Wieland’s second goal, a bicycle kick that went past several Hoya defenders from inside the six-yard box. With a four-goal deficit, the game had already been sealed and the highlight reel kick brought cheers from the stands. Even Georgetown supporters cheered the awesome play.

After the game, Wieland said, “I wasn’t even thinking at the moment. Junge hit the ball down to me and it was a perfect opportunity to do it, a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Wieland, a defender, hadn’t scored in 2005 entering the game. His two goals and one assist said it all – everyone on Creighton’s roster had a scoring opportunity.

Unable to focus mentally, and clearly missing Curtin’s presence as their defensive stopper, the Hoyas looked helpless against a full-strength Creighton squad.

The Big East division is still wide open for the Hoyas and, if they intend to be a player in the postseason, they must quickly figure out a way to right their sinking ship.

Georgetown’s next match is Saturday at 7 p.m in Milwaukee against Marquette.