Team chemistry is a vital part to the success of a winning team. It is hard to find a more cohesive chemistry on the soccer field than with teammates AJ Bishop and Ben Roda. The 2013 Emmaus High School graduates won a District 11 3A championship together in Green Hornet. They have also won a title with each other on the college level.

But their college careers began on separate fields.

Bishop went to Cabrini College after high school, and Roda signed his scholarship letter to play at East Stroudsburg University.

But after their his freshmen year Roda was unsure of his situation at East Stroudsburg. He heard good things about Cabrini from his good friend and decided for the change of scenery.

“I was grateful to receive an athletic scholarship from East Stroudsburg to play,” Roda said. “But it is a much different situation than what I was used to. The competition was great and I had a lot of playing time, but I just didn’t really like all of it up there. When AJ approached me about coming to Cabrini, I liked the smaller campus and loved the Philly area, so I knew it was an easy choice, especially getting to play with AJ again.”

Bishop was already making a name for himself on the pitch, but he knew he could help get the team over the top with the addition of his running mate.

“I begged him to come here,” Bishop said with a laugh. “We’ve always had good chemistry and have been playing together for so long. He is always looking for me on the field, and vice versa. I respect him a lot as a player, and knew he would be a big asset to the team.”

As a freshman, Bishop was named to the All-CSAC First-Team, and was the conference’s Rookie of the Year. The Cavaliers were 11-7-3 in 2013, and 13-8 the following year, falling just short of a conference title.

Roda sat out the 2014 season after transferring and began playing at Cabrini during the 2015 season. With Bishop and Roda, the Cavaliers finished the regular season 13-2-3 and won the Colonial States Athletic Conference championship for the first time since 2012.

“It was tough having to sit out my sophomore year because I’m so used to playing, and having to watch my team and not really help them was tough,” noted Roda. “The summer heading into my junior year, I worked really hard because I knew we were going to have a good team. I just wanted to be able to contribute and help the team win. We were ready for that year, and it showed winning the title.”

Roda started all 21 games his first year on the field as a Cavalier, and was voted first-team All-CSAC. Meanwhile, Bishop was named to the first-team all four years.

Following his senior year this year, the ECAC named Bishop the Division III South Offensive Player of the Year and the Colonial States Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He recorded a league-high 40 points and 17 goals, which ranked him 17th in the country for goals scored. Bishop’s 51 career goals land him second on the conference’s all-time list, and his 121 points are good for third.

“It feels good knowing I was able to accomplish so much at Cabrini,” said Bishop. “I worked so hard for it, on and off the field. But it’s a team sport and it’s about the team winning more than anything else. We won the conference title last year, and that will be something I am proudest about. This year didn’t go the way we wanted, but we were one win from back-to-back championships.”

Cabrini finished 2016 12-8-1 while advancing to the CSAC championship game. The Cavaliers also dropped their next game to Lebanon Valley in the first round of the ECAC tournament.

Bishop’s collegte career came to a close, but he is still looking to play the game he loves. The communications major will be suiting up for the Pennsylvania Developmental League team, the NorEasters, during the summer.

Roda still has one year of eligibility left to play in college. He is debating on using it at Cabrini next year or playing somewhere else. He will graduate in May with a degree in accounting, and is looking to pursue a graduate program. Besides Cabrini, Villanova is a school that he is considering for his postgraduate work.