| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daviana Cheyenne Vaka [1] | ||
| Date of birth | August 11, 2001 | ||
| 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 | 3 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018– | Tonga | 4 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of date=July 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of date=July 2025 | |||
Daviana Cheyenne Vaka (born August 11, 2001) is a Tongan-American professional footballer who plays as a defender for USL Super League club Sporting JAX. Born in the United States, she plays for the Tonga national team. Vaka played college soccer for the BYU Cougars and Florida Gators. [2]
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.
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]
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.
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]
On July 1, 2025, Vaka signed with Sporting Club Jacksonville, commonly known as Sporting JAX, an expansion franchise in the USL Super League. [8]
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.
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]
| 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 | ||