Class of 2019 student and former WIS soccer standout Angela Caloia is off to a hot start with the Harvard women’s soccer team, tallying 6 goals and 11 assists in her freshman season.
Her dominance at the collegiate level comes as no surprise since she has been playing at a high level for many years now. After starting out with local travel team DC Stoddert, she moved to McLean Youth Soccer, a team that plays on the East Coast National League (ECNL) circuit and is one of the 11 teams representing the entire Mid-Atlantic region.
Caloia was selected to the ECNL All-American team in 2018 and ranked as a top 150 recruit in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer, an American soccer website. She also represented the Italian U-19 national team at the La Manga tournament in Spain and European qualifiers.
At WIS she was a dominant force on the pitch, but also in the classroom. Caloia was named to the DC All-State Team in 2019 and scored double-digit goals in multiple seasons. Academically, she reached first honors every year of high school and won the 2019 Socrates Award given to the student who is most “enthusiastic about learning” and uses “critical thinking to reach higher levels of understanding.”
“She [Angela] was always prepared for class. It didn’t matter where she was, even if it was outside the country in a tournament in Europe, she would always send me her homework or do any assignment,” Antonio Ramallo, Angela’s IB Spanish teacher, said.
This balance between sports and academics is something her parents have been preaching since the beginning. Giuliano Caloia and Alessandra Marini emphasize that school is always a top priority, but acknowledge the value of sports in their children’s lives.
“They believe that academics are very important but that sports can be used as a gateway to better academic schools and colleges,” Matteo Caloia, Angela’s younger brother said.
This belief clearly paid off as Harvard University boasts one of the top academic reputations in the world but also has a world-class Division I women’s soccer program, winning thirteen Ivy League championships since 1977. Caloia did not respond when asked for an interview.
On the field, Caloia was voted Ivy League player of the week once and rookie of the week twice during the season and made the All-Ivy League second team. She also led the nation in shot accuracy (73.9%) and was fourth in assists per game (0.69). Academically, she made Ivy League Honor Roll six times.
Her freshman season has clearly been a success in terms of on-field play and academic success but more importantly, she has settled into her new life on campus.
“It’s at Harvard where Caloia has found a culture that suits her perfectly,” remarked The New England Soccer Journal.
