QUEENS, N.Y. – Playing at home for the final time during the regular season, St. John’s University escaped with a 1-0 win after Xavier University scored an own goal in the 108th minute at Belson Stadium Sunday afternoon.

WThe Red Storm has won three consecutive games to bring its overall record to 8-8-1 with a 4-4-0 mark in Big East games with just one regular season game remaining.

Late in the second overtime period, freshman Maia Cabrera sent a long ball for junior Christina Bellero. Instead, the ball found the foot of a Xavier defender, who attempted to clear it wide of the goal but sent it inside the near post for an own goal.

“Xavier is a very good team,” head coach Ian Stone said. “It’s no coincidence they have the record they have so far this season. I thought, in the first half, they took it to us a little so we had to change some things up at halftime. Then it was just a matter of fighting, digging deep on our home field on Senior Day to get the result. We had some pretty good chances and didn’t capitalize on them but we just kept pushing forward and believing and eventually found a way.”

St. John’s wraps up the regular season when it travels to Chicago to take on DePaul University Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.