Profile: Freshman Tori Buda

Michael Takeda/The Pen

With that one, unworldly swish of the ball hitting the back of the net, the realization suddenly sets in that all that hard work has paid off. That thrill and utter excitement associated with goal scoring comes often for freshman Victoria Buda who debuted as a starting forward for Peninsula girls varsity soccer team.

As one of the more prominent players on the team, Buda helps the team by scoring goals when it needs it most. In roughly 16 games, Buda has brought enough energy and vigor to score 12 goals and make five assists.

“I don’t really have a favorite part, but whenever I can help my team with scoring and such, I think that’s fun,” Buda said.

When Buda is not playing for the school, she plays for her club team, The SoCal Blues, largely based in San Juan Capistrano. She is involved with ODP, a junior Olympic development program used as preparation for higher-level soccer and as if that were not enough, Buda also plays with Region 4, a regional team with 18 players are drawn from 13 states.

Initially enrolled in AYSO at the age of four, Buda found out that soccer came naturally for her. From there, her fondness for the sport continued to grow. In due course, Buda joined her first club team at the age of 10, and a few years later she was selected to join ODP in 2009.

Throughout her career, Buda suffered numerous injuries including a concussion and torn ligaments in her right ankle. Despite such setbacks, Buda continues to play with great dedication and heart with the anticipation that she will one day be able to play for the Olympic or US women’s national team.