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Davi Vaka

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daviana Vaka
Personal information
Full name Daviana Cheyenne Vaka[1]
Date of birth (2001-08-11) August 11, 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Sandy, Utah, United States
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
Sporting JAX
Number 23
Youth career
–2019 Utah Avalanche
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2022 BYU Cougars 47 (0)
2023–2024 Florida Gators 33 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025 Fort Lauderdale United 0 (0)
2025– Sporting JAX 0 (0)
International career
2018– Tonga 4 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of date=July 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of date=July 2025

Daviana Cheyenne Vaka (born August 11, 2001 Sandy, Utah) is a Tongan-American professional footballer who plays as a defender for Sporting JAX in the USL Super League and the Tonga women's national team. She previously played college soccer for the BYU Cougars and Florida Gators.[2]

Early life

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Vaka was born and raised in Sandy, Utah, and is one of eight children, including her twin sister, Laveni. She attended Juan Diego Catholic High School, where she led her team to a Utah 3A state championship in 2016 and was named State Player of the Year. She also played club soccer with Utah Avalanche in the ECNL.

College career

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BYU Cougars

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Vaka began her collegiate career at Brigham Young University, initially playing as a forward before transitioning into a defender.[3] She made 47 appearances over four seasons, starting consistently from her sophomore year onward. She was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Defensive Player of the Week in October 2022.[4]

Florida Gators

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In 2023, Vaka transferred to the University of Florida as a graduate student, joining the Florida Gators.[5] She started all 33 matches across two seasons and logged 2,766 total minutes. Her performance in 2023 earned her All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) First Team honors, SEC Defensive Player of the Week, United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Southeast Region Second Team, and Florida's Defensive Player of the Year award. She completed a master’s degree in Sport Management in December 2024.

Club career

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Fort Lauderdale United

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Vaka signed her first professional contract with Fort Lauderdale United FC of the USL Super League in May 2025. She became the second Tongan woman to sign a professional contract, following her twin sister.[6][7]

Sporting JAX

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On July 1, 2025, Vaka signed with Sporting Club Jacksonville, commonly known as Sporting JAX, an expansion franchise in the USL Super League.[8]

International career

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Vaka represents Tonga internationally and made her debut during the 2018 OFC Women's Nations Cup qualifiers in New Caledonia. She returned to the team in 2022 for the OFC Women's Nations Cup in Fiji, where she scored a goal and helped Tonga reach the quarter-finals.

Personal life

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Daviana’s twin sister, Laveni Vaka, is also a professional footballer who plays for Fort Lauderdale United FC. The sisters are of Tongan descent and have been recognized for their contributions to the development of women’s football in Tonga. She is engaged to Utah State Aggies quarterback Jacob Conover.[9]

Career statistics

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Season Games Scoring
GP GS G A PTS SH SOG
BYU Cougars
2019 Redshirt – Did not participate
2020–21 8 0 0 0 0 1 0
2021 20 0 0 0 0 4 2
2022 19 0 0 2 2 8 4
Florida Gators
2023 17 17 0 1 1 2 1
2024 16 16 0 1 1 2 0
Career
Career Total 80 33 0 4 4 17 7

Honors

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  • SEC Defensive Player of the Week: 2023
  • All-SEC First Team: 2023
  • United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Second Team: 2023
  • WCC Defensive Player of the Week: 2022
  • Florida Gators Defensive Player of the Year: 2023
  • Utah 3A State Player of the Year: 2016

References

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  1. ^ "Fall 2024 Commencement" (PDF) (in 20). University of Florida. Retrieved 2 July 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  2. ^ "BYU Roundup: Barcello joins Raptors; Football brings on staff additions". HeraldExtra.com. Daily Herald. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  3. ^ Garrett, Catherine. "JDCHS girls soccer team putting in work on the field". DraperJournal.com. Draper Journal. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  4. ^ Drew, Jay. "What's the secret to BYU's unprecedented success in NCAA women's sports this year?". Deseret.com. Deseret. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  5. ^ Howard, Mary. "Gator Soccer Adds Transfer Daviana Vaka". FloridaGators.com. University of Florida. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  6. ^ "#24 Daviana Vaka". FTLUTD.com. Fort Lauderdale United FC. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  7. ^ "Tonga's second female professional soccer player Daviana Vaka joins US super league". TalanoaOTonga.to. Talanoa O Tonga. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  8. ^ Bunker, Chase. "7 more join Sporting Jax inaugural roster". ActionNewsJax.com. Action News Jax. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  9. ^ Vaka, Daviana. "Our love just keeps on growing and growing. I love this man so much & I can't wait to be with you forever! Fiancé 💍🤍". Instagram.com. Instagram. Retrieved 5 July 2025.