Sometimes history is written by the losers.

Last weekend, the Big East tournament was turned on its side as the bottom four seeds knocked off their higher-seeded opponents in the quarterfinals for the first time in conference history. That leaves Georgetown (11-7-2, 5-4-2), seeded fifth, in the top position going into tonight’s semifinals at 7 p.m. at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.

Even better for Georgetown, the three teams that beat the Hoyas during the regular season have all been dismissed. That includes Villanova, which Georgetown bounced from the tourney in a 4-3 score on penalty kicks last Saturday.

Of the three other teams in the semifinals, Georgetown has victories over two of them earlier this year. Tonight’s opponent, the No. 18 Seton Hall Pirates (11-6-2, 5-5-1), gave the Hoyas one of their most lopsided wins, 4-0, only two weeks ago.

But a lot of work remains between now and any possible trophy ceremony.

Seton Hall reached the semifinals after taking No. 7 Notre Dame, the top seed in the tournament, to a 0-0 tie after 110 minutes. In the ensuing shootout, the two teams slugged it out until Seton Hall managed an 8-7 decision.

No. 10 Boston College lost to No. 22 Connecticut outright, 1-0, on Sunday, and No. 16 St. John’s fell to West Virginia by the same score on Saturday night.

Each team comes into the semifinals with wins, losses, draws and too many close calls against ranked teams and each other to give anyone a clear sense of favorites.

To say it will not be easy, however, is not to say that the Hoyas cannot do it. Georgetown has momentum on its side with an 8-2-2 record in the last 12 games, with its losses coming unexpectedly from Pittsburgh and Villanova.

Since those two losses, Georgetown has gone undefeated at 3-0-2. The team should also have confidence knowing it trounced Seton Hall before and took down West Virginia 2-1 earlier in the season.

The Hoyas also sport the strongest offense in the conference, leading in goals per game and assists. Sophomore forward Ricky Schramm was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year as the top goal scorer in the conference this year with 17, and senior forward Trevor Goodrich has 11 assists, the most of any player.

Seton Hall has the second highest scoring offense in the Big East, averaging 1.7 goals per game to Georgetown’s 1.99.

The previous showdown between these two teams was a tale of two halves. Neither team established a beachhead within the first 45 minutes, despite Georgetown’s many attempts on offense.

Once the second half began, the Hoyas exploded on offense. Schramm scored the first goal within five minutes of the start of the half. Everything then spiraled downward for the Pirates, as the Hoyas piled up the goals.

It was Georgetown’s only win over a ranked team in the regular season.

On the other half of the draw, seventh seed West Virginia (12-6-1, 6-4-1) will face sixth seed Connecticut (10-7-2, 6-4-1) at 5 p.m., also at Rutgers. On Sept. 19, the Huskies downed the ountaineers 2-0 in their one meeting this season.

Seton Hall last made it to the finals in 2000, and Georgetown last played for the title in 1999. The Pirates have four championships, the last one in 1991, while the Hoyas have never won the postseason tournament.

Connecticut also has four titles, the last one coming in 1999. West Virginia has never advanced past the semifinals.

With eight teams in the conference holding winning records, the four remaining squads in the Big East tournament are also fighting for bids to the College Cup. The tournament winner will receive an automatic bid, but there are 48 spots in total. Last year the Big East sent seven teams to the nationwide tournament. Georgetown has been selected twice, in 1994 and 1997.