Cal State Fullerton Notebook / Robyn Norwood : Soccer Team Just Keeps Winning at Home, By George

The Cal State Fullerton soccer team lately has taken to calling its home field “the Danger Zone”--in reference to a three-year home unbeaten streak of 15 games against conference opponents.

It has been a little something for the Titans to take pride in after finishing 7-11-2 last year, the worst season in Al Mistri’s eight years as coach.

But after a 1-0 upset of 16th-ranked San Diego State Sunday--at home, naturally--the Titans have something else to be proud of. Adam Lehner’s goal gave the Titans a victory and a 4-1 record.

Already, the Titans are beginning to think of contending for the Big West Conference title, which they tied for in 1986.

Steve George, a junior who was one of the team’s scoring leaders last season, was a redshirt freshman on the 1986 team. He shared in the championship officially, but because he didn’t play, it didn’t feel like his own. To make matters more frustrating, he missed out on another championship that season--his former high school team, Mater Dei, won the Southern Section title in its first season after his graduation. A younger brother, Sam George, now playing at UCLA, was on that Mater Dei team.

Now Steve George would like a title to call his own. He scored five goals and assisted on three last season and already is one of the points leaders this season. In five games, he has one goal and two assists, tying him for second in points with Lehner. Forward Rick Biedler, with six points, leads the team.

George feels good about this season. It feels like a new start to him, not least of all because the Titans have new uniforms, complete with matching sweats.

“This year, we go out looking good,” he said. “You know what they say, ‘when you look good, you play good.’ I’m very confident we’re going to do well.”

If Mistri finds fault with George, it is because he says George plays a bit too much with his heart.

“He could be more economical,” Mistri said. “His heart gets in the way of his brain, and he just goes and goes and goes. . . . He goes all out. He runs now, and thinks about it later.”

George knows about this tendency and he is trying to play a more structured game. Still, all heart or not, he made first-team all-conference last season.

“I like to play my way,” George said.

Playing his way is one way to distinguish himself from his brother, Sam, who Steve says plays in a more structured, skillful style. But even though they play differently, people frequently confuse the two.

“I’ve been called Sam pretty often,” Steve said.

With five boys in the family, all of whose names begin with S, he’s been called a few other things as well--Scott, Seth and Spencer.

The family has a solution.

“They call us all George.”

Coach Gene Murphy is defending quarterback Dan Speltz, who has thrown nine interceptions in three games. He blamed Speltz for only one of four interceptions Saturday--but “it was an atrocious one,” Murphy said.

Murphy blamed another on a receiver, another on Speltz being hit as he threw, and said still another was a close call as a Fullerton player and Colorado State player came down with the ball together.

Bad numbers and all, Murphy is standing behind his quarterback. Positive reinforcement is a must, he says. So, apparently, is keeping a sense of humor.

“We never say, ‘Don’t throw an interception. Don’t fumble,’ ” Murphy said. “That’s not positive reinforcement. We say, ‘Make sure you throw to the right color jersey. Squeeze the football.’ ”

Despite a 4-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio, Speltz doesn’t seem to be in any danger of losing his job.

That is in part because the Titans--who play at San Diego State on Saturday--have no one to turn to. His backup, junior Paul Schulte, has virtually no experience. In one appearance last season, Schulte didn’t attempt a pass and carried once for a loss of three yards in a 58-13 victory over San Jose State. Schulte attempted two passes in the late going Saturday, completing one for 12 yards . . . and throwing an interception on the other.

The third quarterback, for emergency use only, is Tony Dill, who started at quarterback late in the 1985 season but was converted to a receiver last year. But the offense has changed substantially since Dill last played quarterback. For him to play, the Titans would have to radically alter the offense.

The final quarterback on the team, a promising freshman named Terry Payne, is scheduled to redshirt.

Volleyball player Susan Herman, who had 36 kills in two matches last week, ranks eighth in the country in hitting percentage.