DEFENSELESS GALAXY WAKES UP TOO LATE : SAN JOSE 3, GALAXY 2.

Byline: Patrick Hipes Daily News Staff Writer

It had been a great July for the Galaxy, which ripped through the month winning five consecutive games, shooting past the San Jose Clash into playoff position in the process.

Goals came fast and furious and victories soon followed.

After Sunday, however, don't get the Galaxy started about August.

Playing its fourth game in nine days, the team sleepwalked through the first half-hour, giving away three first-half goals to San Jose and eventually losing 3-2 at the Rose Bowl.

The loss pulled the Clash within two points of the Galaxy for fourth place and the final playoff spot in the West with eight games remaining.

The Galaxy has lost three of four MLS games while the Clash has won three in a row, its longest streak of the season.

``We feel like we need to make it race to win this thing,'' defender Dan Calichman said afterward - with more than a hint of sarcasm.

If that was the team's intention, the plan was executed perfectly early on after the Clash (10-15) capitalized on a sloppy, if not snoozing Galaxy defense. Lawrence Lozzano scored unmarked in the 15th minute, while Jeff Baicher was equally open for his tap-in in the 27th.

Nine minutes later, Baicher added his second goal, prancing past Jorge Campos, who had slipped on the turf and watched the action from his hands and knees.

``You don't deserve to win a game when you give away three goals,'' defender Danny Pena said. ``The bottom line is we've got a job to do and we didn't do it.''

At halftime, the crowd of 22,621 agreed, ushering the Galaxy (10-14) to the locker room with a sustained chorus of boos and whistles. Even Campos was not immune.

Arising from the nap too late, the Galaxy scored three minutes into the second half after Martin Machon blasted home a Cobi Jones cross. In the 80th minute, after a Clash handball in the box, Mauricio Cienfuegos converted the penalty kick to draw to 3-2.

Unfortunately for the Galaxy, a game is only 90 minutes long.

``Against any good team, they score a goal and the momentum shifts,'' Clash coach Brian Quinn said. ``The good thing is (the Galaxy) didn't get the second goal with 30 minutes left instead of 10.''

The second-half surge did little to remove any edge.

``There's no gratification in (coming back),'' said Pena. ``You try to salvage what you can, and try to find the rhythm you had when you had won five in a row.''

It may have been just a bad day to go to work. Already without starting defender Robin Fraser (groin) and striker Eduardo Hurtado (national team commitments), the Galaxy lost defender Greg Vanney to a banged-up toe, suffered minutes before game time in the locker room.

Vanney will have X-rays today.