Scott Schweitzer and Claudio Reyna forged their names and reputations on the soccer fields of the Atlantic Coast Conference before doing the same in various professional leagues around the world.

Since their days at N.C. State and Virginia, respectively, followed by professional stints in France, Germany, Scotland, England and the U.S., their paths never crossed until now.

On Friday, they will share the same arena for the first time since they were in college. Schweitzer’s RailHawks will take on Reyna’s New York Red Bulls at WakeMed Soccer Park in an interleague friendly. Schweitzer is the RailHawks head coach. Reyna is the Red Bulls’ captain and midfielder.

Though their careers have traveled in different directions, the early days of their respective journeys began in the same place.

For one season, in the fall of 1988, they played together at St. Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, N.J. Schweitzer, then a senior, was the captain of a team that was setting the foundation for the program to become a national power. Reyna, then a sophomore who transferred to the school that fall, was the wunderkind midfielder who, by the time he graduated in 1991, had helped turn the program into an unquestioned juggernaut that’s yet to slow down.

“Claudio looked up to Scott [and] the way he trained,” said Rick Jacobs, who coached them both and is still at St. Benedict’s. “They had an automatic kinship. Scott … appreciated Claudio’s talents. I don’t know how many words were spoken about how much each respected each other, but it was evident.”

They grew up about 15 miles apart in northern New Jersey, Schweitzer in Rahway and Reyna in Springfield. They knew each other before teaming up at St. Benedict’s, having played against each other on club teams.

When they got together that one season, their rapport was obvious.

“We had a connection,” Schweitzer said. “I think we both took to each other. We both enjoyed each other’s company, and we knew we were going to make each other better.”

The opportunity to play with players such as Schweitzer was part of the draw for Reyna to transfer to the parochial school.

“He was our leader, very technical and skillful,” Reyna said. “And he had a very good read for the game.”

Schweitzer and Reyna were among the players who were at the root of the success St. Benedict’s has enjoyed for the last quarter century. Under Jacobs, the Gray Bees have amassed a record of 483-24-13, won 19 straight Prep A division championships and been ranked the season-ending No. 1 team in the nation six times.

Schweitzer and Reyna had a passion for success, for the team and themselves, and they worked tirelessly to ensure it would happen, Jacobs said. They pushed their teammates hard, but they demanded the most of themselves.

However, their respective drives manifested themselves in different ways, as is still the case today.

Schweitzer wears his heart on his sleeve, his commitment to excellence evident even to the most imperceptive eye. It’s been said he was the type of player teammates adored and opponents despised. That reputation dates back to high school.

“That’s a fair comment,” Reyna said. “He probably wouldn’t disagree with that. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s part of what makes teams successful [and] it’s to be respected.”

Reyna’s approach leans toward leading by example. The fact that he’s been successful during every stage of his career demonstrates his devotion to succeed is just as intense, albeit not as patently obvious.

Over Reyna’s final two prep seasons, St. Benedict’s won 47 straight games and two state titles. He was the PARADE Magazine Player of the Year in 1989 and 1990, the only person to win the award twice.

With a resume like that, colleges clamored for his services. Schweitzer, then at N.C. State, tried to sell his former schoolmate on playing for the Wolfpack. Reyna eventually chose Virginia.

“I guess he made a good choice,” Schweitzer quipped.

In three seasons at UVa., Reyna won three NCAA championships and a truckload of individual honors, including the Hermann Trophy in 1993 and MAC Award twice.

Schweitzer was no slouch in college either. Among his honors is the 1992 ACC Player of the Year award.

“I was player of the year, and I always say that to him,” Schweitzer said. “I was the first one from Benedict’s to be ACC Player of the Year … of our era.”

Their teams met twice in ACC play, with the Cavaliers getting the best of the Wolfpack both times. In 1991, UVa. beat State 3-2 in Raleigh. The following year in Charlottesville, Va., UVa. won 4-3.

Though they never played together again after high school, they were twice on the same team. They were both first-team All-Americans in 1992, and they were both named to the ACC’s 50th anniversary team in 2003.

Schweitzer retired in 2005 after playing more than a decade, mostly in the United Soccer Leagues (and its previous incarnations). He was a five-time USL first-team choice and twice named the league’s defender of the year.

Reyna returned to the U.S. last year and signed a two-year deal with New York after spending nearly 14 seasons playing in Europe. He starred for teams in the German Bundesliga, the Scottish Premier League and the English Premier League. He also enjoyed a prosperous 12-year career with the U.S. national team, earning 112 caps and playing in three World Cups. He retired from international play in 2006.

Not once did their professional careers intersect, though.

“It’s been a long time obviously,” Reyna said. “It’s always interesting how your paths cross again in some way.”

Schweitzer wouldn’t mind if it happened more frequently, especially at WakeMed Soccer Park.

“Maybe I can get him to come down here and finish out his career,” Schweitzer joked. “We’ll see.”