There are a couple of Z's in their name, but there is nothing snooze-worthy about their game.

The game of choice for the Central Jersey Lazerz is futsal, and they play it so well they captured a national championship in the sport also known as five-a-side or mini-soccer.

"As much as I love soccer, I'd say futsal is my passion," said Lauren Ullmann of Princeton, a member of the U-14 team that won its division at the United States FUTSAL Federation national championships that took place July 9-12 in Baltimore.

FUTSAL is the international term used for the game that can be played indoors and out, without the use of walls and can be traced back to Uruguay in 1930. It is derived from the Spanish or Portuguese word for soccer -- futbol or futebol, and the French or Spanish word for indoor -- salon or sala. The term (especially as all-capital letters) was adopted by U.S. Futsal since it includes the initials USA.

Lazerz teammate Lauren Budzinski of Robbinsville enjoys it so much that a two-hour futsal practice session goes by much quicker than expected on a Friday night.

"I can just keep practicing and practicing," Budzinski said. "It's over so quickly."

By nature and by design, futsal is a fast-paced game. The futsal ball is smaller than one used in outdoor soccer and is made with a low-bounce material that encourages it to stay on the ground, and the game is played on a gym surface about the size of most basketball courts.

All you have to do is ask Christian Sanje one question about the sport, and he is off and running as fast as a game of futsal.

"The game is faster than outdoor soccer, so it requires a great deal of skill and quickness," said Sanje, a former NY/NJ Metro Stars player. "The speed of the game forces players to make quicker decisions on the ball as they don't have much time before they are pressured by an opponent. (Less players on the field) allows for more quality touches on the ball, further improving their skill and confidence."

Budzinski, who will begin her sophomore year at Robbinsville High next month, is a newcomer to futsal and already is devoted to the sport that has played a key role in her progress in outdoor soccer.