Before they decided to bring their cleats to Glassboro, the undeniable friendship between sophomores Angela Oliveto and MaKala Baker started less than five miles away in Williamstown, New Jersey.

“We’ve been friends for like 10 so years,” Baker said. “At least knowing coming [to Rowan] I knew I would have at least one friend that I knew and I could trust, so it was really special to me.”

Being best friends since the fifth grade, this dynamic duo began to form throughout high school, with Oliveto and Baker playing on Williamstown’s soccer team. While Oliveto immediately earned varsity playing time, she foresaw Baker’s top-notch potential to make the jump from junior varsity.

“I already knew the coach because my sister played for high school, so I was like telling him … my best friend MaKala, she’s a superstar in the back, you need to check her out,” Oliveto said. “So finally, something clicked for her … she was starting center back, I was starting the midfield, and we played together.”

What followed was the establishment of invaluable chemistry, as well as the creation of countless memories on and off the soccer pitch.

“I assisted her first goal,” Oliveto said. “That was like [a] peak moment for our high school career.”

As their high school playing days neared a conclusion, Oliveto and Baker turned their attention toward collegiate soccer. The two, however, never thought they would ever play in the same kit ever again. 

“We always told each other, like, we’re not going to college together, it’s just not happening,” Baker said. “I committed here first … and then she was looking at other options, and then she did a tour here. I was like, it’d be really cool if you came here, like, we’d be still together.”  

Despite the original belief, nothing could separate the Williamstown products from playing the sport of soccer.

“It was always in the back of my mind,” Oliveto said. “It was so nice to know that she was here and like, if I did commit, we’d be playing four more years together.”

Now at Rowan, both Profs have propelled one another to stellar sophomore seasons, with Oliveto scoring six goals, four more than last fall, while tallying three assists. Baker has received New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Defensive Player of the Week honors twice.

“We’ve always pushed each other when we were younger,” Baker said. “Just knowing that I have someone on the field that I can trust 100% with my life, it’s just really good.”

Oliveto and Baker may only be shy of two years into their Rowan tenures, but it’s evident that this is just the beginning for Rowan women’s soccer’s exhilarating future. 

“I think for me and MaKala together, being best friends, you can come in together being best friends, and you’ll be able to leave being that dynamic duo,” Oliveto said. “I think that’s what our legacy together would be.”