Elijah Bishop is a defender for the UCA Men’s soccer team whose passion for soccer came from his father.
“He was the one that put me in the sport,” Bishop said. “He was born and raised in Germany, so the whole culture of soccer over there was really big for him.”
Bishop is from Denver, Colorado — a far leap from Conway.
Bishop said despite how different the two places are, he did not struggle to adjust to Arkansas because he thought of it as “another beautiful place to live and meet new people.”
“I like it here a lot,” Bishop said. “I think Conway, especially, is a very quiet place, and I think it’s a very good place for a college to be at — especially for sports. It’s a great way to really focus on your studies as well as perform your best when it comes to competition. It gives a really good environment for that, and I think the people are really nice as well.”
Bishop is a sophomore majoring in business. He said he chose to major in business because of the variety of jobs that can come from the degree.
“I think it’s very versatile and it’ll give me a lot of options coming out of college,” he said.
Balancing schoolwork and sports is something that all student-athletes must learn to do — Bishop included.
“When I first started playing I definitely had to get a grasp of being able to get my work done, as well as having time to focus on recovering, taking care of my body, watching film and getting ready to prepare for games,” Bishop said. “Now I’m much more familiar with how to get my homework done and still be able to do things that are going to help me succeed on the field.”
Bishop said it is a priority for the coaches at UCA that student-athletes succeed not only on the field but also in their classes.
“The coaches do a great job of making sure we have study hours and are getting those in and being on top of your classes so that when it comes to competition and when it comes to training, we’re not having that added stress,” Bishop said. “We are student-athletes, and the student part comes first.”
Bishop said his favorite game of the season has been the Sept. 1 game against the University of Memphis Tigers.
The Bears scored 3-0 against the Tigers on their home turf, which was a special moment for Bishop.
“What really made me happy in that moment was the fact that we were able to get that shut out away from home and then we were able to score three goals,” Bishop said. “We were dominating from start to finish and that’s something that as the season progresses, we’re looking to do more of.”
Bishop said his favorite team memory is the tradition the team has to sing together after a winning game.
“After every win, whether it’s home or away, we have a little chant that we like to sing,” Bishop said. “In those moments it really celebrates the fact that not only did we get the win, but we had a week of hard training and hard prep in order to get that result. That’s really enjoyable for me and a really cool tradition to have with the guys. That’s a rewarding feeling, for sure.”