The referee blew his whistle, signaling the start of the game, and the team in pink began to hit a series of quick give-and-go passes, some off the wall, others splitting small gaps in the defense. Then, before the goalie in green even had time to get a feel for his own defense, rising ninth grader Oscar Espinosa blasted a shot into the bottom right corner of the net to put his team up 1-0. The series lasted just four seconds.

“The pace is fast and a lot like hockey to be honest with you, as long as the ball stays on the field,” said John Lohman, the head soccer coach at Southside High School, who was looking on from the sidelines as some of his high school soccer players competed inside the boards. “It can get pretty physical sometimes. The referee is the one that determines the level of physicality.”

For the goalie, “it’s all twitch reflex. You have to see it and get a hand in there because some of these kids can really blast it.”

In its second year and third season, the Athletic Edge Sports and Fitness Center’s Indoor Soccer League offers local youth the opportunity to continue playing soccer in the heat of the summer, while refining their skills in a more enclosed environment. In essence, the league is a scaled down version of the real thing with a couple of added quirks.

The field, which is roughly 40-by-20 yards, is lined with two-foot-tall, wooden walls from sideline to end line. The goal resembles an oversized hockey goal, the square shape giving the keeper a chance to save even the hardest hit strikes. With less give than grass, the artificial turf increases the speed of the passes and shots.

“It works on your touches,” said Jesse Lohman, a midfielder and the Seahawks’ leading scorer. “On a regular field, you have room to maneuver, but out here, you have to have perfect touches because there’s always a person right there.”

To speed up the pace of the game, if a player misses the goal on a shot, whether it’s to the right over the wall, to the left over the wall or over the frame itself, that player is subject to a one-minute power play penalty, giving the opposing team a chance to counter on the ensuing series. It’s a concept borrowed from hockey that forces the participants to keep the ball on the ground, an attribute most soccer coaches emphasize on the regulation field.

“I think a lot of the guys really focus too much on long ball and really they don’t work on their short touches and passes, which are equally as important,” said Jim Kozuch, the head soccer coach at Washington High School who had seven current or potential players participating in the game at hand. “I think this will translate great, just having to be able pass under quick pressure and work on their reactions.”

Passing and control is emphasized even in for the younger participants, as the league features four divisions — 5-8 year olds, 9-11 year olds, 12-13 year olds, and current and rising high school students.

Most high school, travel and recreation coaches in the area now encourage their players to participate in the league, which has only grown with each season. It’s a more convenient option than other Greenville-based leagues that local teams have sent their athletes to in previous years.

“The players are going to get better, considerably, in how they handle the ball and pass the ball,” said Tracy Sheppard, the manager at Athletic Edge. “To me, it teaches them more about getting passing down and the team aspect, one person can’t run that whole field or they’re going to get clobbered. From the younger age group to the old guys, you can see how much they’re improving each time.”

The league runs Monday through Thursday with games at 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.