A new milestone has been reached for Tonga football as Daviana Vaka, twin sister of Laveni Vaka, has signed her first professional contract with Fort Lauderdale United FC in the USL Super League. The move comes less than a year after Laveni made history as Tonga’s first-ever female professional footballer and now, Daviana proudly follows in her footsteps, making it a powerful story of legacy, resilience, and cultural pride.
Born and raised in Sandy, Utah, Daviana and her twin sister Laveni developed a passion for soccer early on. They both attended Juan Diego Catholic High School, where Daviana excelled as a forward, earning accolades such as Utah 3A State Champion and Top Goal Scorer in 2016. Her impressive high school performance led to her recruitment by Brigham Young University (BYU), where she played from 2019 to 2022 alongside Laveni.
At BYU, Daviana continued to showcase her skills on the field. In her sophomore year, she played in 19 games, recording one assist and eight shots. Her dedication and performance contributed to the team’s success during her tenure.
In 2023, she transferred to the University of Florida, where she quickly earned the nickname “Swamp Queen” for her commanding presence in the back. Over two seasons with the Florida Gators, she started 33 matches and played an impressive 2,766 minutes. Her performances earned her All-SEC First Team honors and the title of Gators’ Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, underlining her dominance in one of the toughest conferences in collegiate soccer.
Daviana has represented Tonga on the international stage, including the 2018 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifiers in New Caledonia and the 2022 OFC Women’s NationsCup in Fiji. Alongside her sister, she helped raise the competitive level of the Mataliki side with physicality, leadership, and technical quality ending the tournament in the Quarter Final after the penalty shootout against Papua New Guinea.
Daviana joins Fort Lauderdale at a pivotal point in their campaign, with just four matches left in the regular season and a playoff spot within reach. Her signing comes as a direct response to her sister Laveni’s season-ending knee injury, suffered earlier this month. With the team’s defensive unit thinned by multiple injuries, Daviana’s arrival couldn’t have come at a better time.
Daviana is expected to make her professional debut this Friday, May 16, when Fort Lauderdale takes on Lexington SC. The match kicks off at 6:00 p.m. EST, live on Peacock and FanDuel Sports Network.
With this move, Tonga not only celebrates one of its daughters reaching the professional ranks, but also sends a clear message to the world: Tonga football is rising, and the future is filled with potential.
With both Vaka sisters now under contract in the USL Super League, Tonga becomes one of the few Pacific Island nations to have multiple women professionals playing overseas.
This development is expected to elevate the aspirations of young female footballers in the Kingdom and push forward TFA’s goal of creating sustainable international pathways for its players.
Together, the Vaka sisters are rewriting the future for women’s football in Tonga, breaking barriers and inspiring the next generation of Mataliki girls.
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