So far this season, freshman electrical and computer engineering major Angela Oliveto has made an impact and played a role in Rowan women’s soccer.

Rowan offered Oliveto the best of both worlds in terms of her college goals.

“I thought it was a perfect balance between academic and athletic life,” Oliveto said. “I liked how it was academically oriented because I wanted to be an engineer like my dad and my sister. I have been playing since I was four, so I always knew I wanted to play in college as well.”

For most freshmen who join the team, there is usually a learning curve between the high school and college levels. However, Oliveto was ready for the transition.

“The first thing they have to do is try to learn how we play,” head coach Scott Leacott said. “All the freshmen do it at their own pace; some do it right off the bat, and some are not ready right away. She played at a high level at a very good high school, so she was prepared. She acclimated very well, and she is getting a good amount of playing time.”

In high school, Oliveto was named to the All-Conference First Team once and the All-Conference Second Team once, as well.

One thing that has helped Oliveto with the transition from high school to college is her fellow freshman teammate, Makala Baker. Baker is a former high school teammate of Oliveto’s, and she’s also Oliveto’s best friend.

“It is amazing to have her here,” Oliveto said. “We have been best friends for eight years at this point. To be able to be her roommate is just super nice. At first, we didn’t even think we were going to the same school, but then we ended up deciding on Rowan together. It was super nice.”

It’s not just Baker who has helped Oliveto; the whole team has welcomed her with open arms.

“So far, I think I’ve been fitting in pretty well,” Oliveto said. “The girls are super nice. It’s like a family. I feel like they’ve already adopted me… I feel like everyone has been here for me. I think Frankie Ryan is someone I could go to for anything or Megan Lewin; even though she is not playing this year, she is still part of the team.”

Not only does she fit in with the team on a personal level, but she is also aware of how she fits in on the field. Coming in as a substitute in her four games so far, she understands the role she can play coming off the bench.

“Even though I’m not starting, coming in as a sub and making a change in the game—whether that’s changing the energy or picking everyone up—is a good goal for me,” Oliveto said.

With two goals and an assist in four games this season, Oliveto is doing exactly what her head coach wants her to do.

“We want to change the game with our substitutions,” Leacott said. “We feel like our subs should come in and give us a spark of energy. She comes in after our starting attackers tire out the defense, and then she can just run at them.”

Those goals have not only helped the team win games, but they will likely help the team in the future by boosting Oliveto’s confidence.

“I think those goals have helped build my confidence,” Oliveto said. “It’s given me the confidence to take people on one-on-one or to take more shots in general.”

Through four games, she is second on the team in goals, and her head coach mentioned how she reminds him of someone who scored the second-most goals on the team last year.

“She kind of plays similarly to Olivia Giordano,” Leacott said. “She’s always working hard and getting into 50/50 tackles, even though she’s a forward. She beats people one-on-one.”

If Oliveto continues performing as she has at the start of the season, you’ll be seeing her on the field more and more.

“We don’t look at our team as starters or bench players,” Leacott said. “Sometimes our bench players play more than our starters. We just take it day by day for the rest of the season, and if she performs, her role is going to get bigger. We just want to keep expanding her game.”

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