Laveni Vaka on the attack for Tonga against the Cook islands at the 2022 OFC tournament in Fiji. Photo: OFC Media
Tonga's Laveni Vaka has become the first Tongan female professional soccer player after being drafted for the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States.
Vaka's inclusion in the Bay Football Club in California was announced by the club on Sunday and the Oceania Football Confederation called it "a huge achievement".
"I'm just feeling super overwhelmed and grateful," Vaka, who plays as a defender, said as she wiped tears of joy at the announcement.
"I played soccer in San Mateo, that's where it started for me and to go back home means so much to me, and I'm just so grateful for Bay FC for taking a chance on me."
She was the 13th pick in the fourth round, being the second to last announcement for the squad.
Laveni has played representative football alongside her twin Daviana for Tonga.
Tonga women's football manager Atelaite Tuivailala welcomed Vaka's recruitment into the NWSL.
Speaking to RNZ Pacific from Nuku'alofa, Tuivailala said Vaka's achievement is a boost for women's football on the Kingdom.
"I'm super proud of her achievements," she said.
"[It's] well deserved. Laveni and her twin sister Daviana played for Tonga at the 2018 World Cup qualifier in New Caledonia and the 2022 for Oceania Football Confederation Women's Nations' Cup in Fiji.
"She did her very best on the field and the rest of players from other countries really respected her.
"I know our Tongan women in football could make it up to where Laveni is now."
She said "sky is the limit" for Vaka.
Tuivailala is also hopeful that both the Vaka sisters, who have grown up in the US, would be available to represent Tonga at the Olympic Games qualifier in Samoa from 7-19 February.
Atelaite Tuivailala with Tonga Football officials. Photo: Tonga Football
A real talent
The Oceania Football Center highlighted Vaka was a star player for Tonga at the OFC event in Fiji in 2022.
The football news website said the then 21-year-old defender was named the best player of the match against Papua New Guinea after providing two assists for her twin-sister Daviana to score and then making a beautiful move for Jazmine Loto'aniu to score the second goal.
Tonga eventually went out on penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw after extra time, with Vaka converting her spot-kick - but the defeat did not harm her great performance in the match and in the tournament.
After representing Tonga for the second time in the Nations Cup, she returned to the US for the season with BYU where her team finished the year with 11 wins, three losses and seven draws.
Her team lost in the semifinal that year.
She played all 21 games for BYU in the 2022 season tallying 1,834 minutes and one assist.
At the end of the season she was named to the NCAA All-West Region First Team and the All-WCC First Team and took out the WCC 2022 Defender of the Year award.