Varsénia Lina Monteiro da Luz (born 19 March 1992), often shortened to Varsénia is a Cape Verdean footballer who plays as a right-back for Campeonato Nacional Feminino Caboverdiano club Seven Stars and captains the Cape Verde national football team.
Club career.
Born in São Vicente, like most children, da Luz started playing football with friends in the neighborhood. She then joined Ribeirense FC in the regional championship. After one season, she joined Cruzeiros do Norte before moving to Mindelense, where she won four regional titles and participated in national championships between 2013 and 2018.
On 23 August 2014, Varsénia was part of the historic inaugural match at the Estádio Nacional, where a women's match between the Barlavento and Sotavento selections marked the stadium's first official game. The match ended in a 0–0 draw.
In 2018, she joined Seven Stars in Praia, where she won four consecutive Santiago Sul regional titles, two national championships, and five Taça Praia trophies. She also competed with the club in the inaugural 2021 CAF Women's Champions League WAFU Zone A Qualifiers, held in Cape Verde.
In addition to football, she has competed in futsal. In 2023, she represented São Vicente in the Inter-Island Futsal Tournament, where her team won the title.
International career.
As one of the pioneers of women's football in Cape Verde, Varsénia was part of the country's first-ever women's national team. She made her debut in a 1–0 home defeat to Guinea-Bissau on 16 November 2018. Since then, she has been a regular in the national squad, featuring in every Cape Verde selection, including the 2020 and 2023 WAFU Zone A Women's Cup. On 27 January 2023, she scored her first international goal in a 2–1 semi-final victory over Gambia.
"Scores and results list Cape Verde's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each da Luz goal".