Vayda Farino, of Scottdale, 17, has really made a name for herself in her school and her community. Farino excels on the track, on the field, and in the classroom. Her dedication to reach her own personal goals has driven her to succeed in every aspect of her life. Not only does Farino strive to accomplish great things in one sport, but two. She is a part of the Southmoreland High School cross country and track teams, the Southmoreland High School soccer team, the Arsenal Club of Pittsburgh soccer team, the PA West Olympic Development Program soccer team, and the Region One Olympic Development Program Regional soccer team.
“I play center-mid field and foreword, but I prefer center-mid because you’re more involved in the play,” Farino said.
When asked who inspires her to play soccer, Farino named her father, Bill, because “he got me into the sport in the first place.”

Vayda said her father “always tells me to just play how I knowI how to play and not worry about other things.”

Another inspiration of Vayda’s is Mia Hamm, one of the best woman’s soccer players who ever lived.
“I don’t just like her because she’s really good at soccer, she’s a really interesting person too,” said Farino.
In the little free time Farino has, she plays the piano and reads, but her true passion is soccer.

“The reason I love it so much is because there’s a lot of creative liberties in soccer,” she said. “You don’t have to fit a form like other sports.”

She sais she loved the game “from the very first day I played,” and after 12 years of playing, the excitement and the passion “never went away, it only grew.”
Farino will always remember the hat-trick she had her freshman year on her high school team while facing Mount Pleasant, Southmoreland’s rivals. Another memorable moment in her soccer career came two summers ago when her Regional team went undefeated in a tournament, where she scored five goals, until they lost in semi-finals. Farino calls this memory one of her defining moments in the sport.
“I think this was the moment when I really started to take soccer seriously,” she says.
Next fall, Farino plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. As if playing one sport at the collegiate isn’t impressive enough, Vayda plans to play soccer and run track at CMU. For most, playing two sports at prestigious university like Carnegie Mellon seems unfeasible, but Vayda is different. She looks at obstacles as a reason to work harder, not a reason to quit. Vayda claims that she can definitely see herself playing after college and maybe even coaching.
Farino was named captain of her high school team this season, but she said, “I believe in leading by example instead of leading by words.”

Vayda Farino may be considered one of the best female athletes who ever attended Southmoreland, and her legacy at Southmoreland will live long after her graduation.