COLLEGE SOCCER : FULLERTON GETS LESS TENTATIVE, UPSETS UCLA.

Byline: Patrick Hipes Orange County Register

Al Mistri's gamble paid off, big time.

The Cal State Fullerton men's soccer coach had watched his team play tentatively one too many times against UCLA, winning just three of the past 23 meetings with the Bruins entering Sunday's NCAA first-round playoff game at Titan Stadium.

This time the Titans were the aggressors, playing direct and playing hard. And it worked. Fullerton outhustled, outshot and outlasted the Bruins 2-1, shocking the nation's top-ranked team in front of 2,551.

``It's about time we win a game of this magnitude,'' Mistri said. ``It finally, maybe puts us on the map.''

It does give the Titans (11-4-5), winners of six in a row, a berth in the second round of the 32-team tournament. They play Creighton most likely at Titan Stadium on Sunday.

Fullerton midfielder Tom Helmer scored the game-winner with a left-footed blast from 17 yards out in the 63rd minute.

UCLA (16-4) had won 11 in a row entering the contest. It had beaten the Titans 2-0 in Los Angeles in October and crushed them 4-0 the last time the two played at Titan Stadium, in a 1995 regular-season game.

The Titans' relentless forward attack gave them the first goal in the 19th minute. The Bruins' defense - on its heels for most of the contest - made a late attempt at an offsides trap, leaving the Titans' Charlie Lynch alone in the UCLA penalty box. He chipped Eugene Brooks' through-ball over the goalie from 9 yards away.

``We didn't show the savvy to get through this game,'' said UCLA coach Sigi Schmid.