32 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 4-10, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com FACE TO FACE A few hours after Brianna Castleberry arrived in California on May 9, she scored a goal at Cardinale Stadium—the first-ever goal for the Monterey Bay Sirens. It took her a few days to realize her feat will go down in the team’s record book. “It’s really, really exciting, and honestly it didn’t really affect me until after the game.” Castleberry says. “I was like, ‘Oh, I just scored the first goal. I made history.’” Castleberry has played soccer since a young age, along with her two sisters. The 21-year-old Oklahoma native is a recent Oral Roberts University graduate, where she earned a business administration degree and will soon start a sports management master’s program. Castleberry and teammate Zoe McCabbe learned about the Sirens through their coach, Austin Risenhoover, who previously coached at CSU Monterey Bay. Stockton Cargo SC eventually evened the game at 1-1. But the draw was a huge accomplishment for the new team, since Stockton went undefeated last season. Castleberry plans to play another year for the ORU Eagles and hopes to play professionally. “I have this dream to keep playing after college and hopefully play pro or overseas,” she says. Weekly: What’s it like to make team history? Castleberry: It’s a little overwhelming, but I’m excited. It’s just great to be a part of this program—especially since it’s our first year. I’m excited for our season and to see where it takes us. You played just a few hours after getting here. How was that? Me and Zoe both played 90 minutes coming off the plane, and we were like, “Wow, we have never done that before.” We had never played with any of the girls that are on the team, so it was definitely a very, very new experience. I’ve always had a couple practices before the games. I’ve always known the players that I’m playing with. Not knowing anybody, and just having to go out there and work hard and work for each other—it was cool. Is this part of California what you expected it to be? No. I’ve been to LA, and that’s very fast-paced. This is a little slower and more calm and peaceful. It’s definitely been a little different than I imagined. But it’s been great—beautiful area. Do you have a favorite player? Oh boy. I really like [Lionel] Messi because he’s so crafty, and he’ll just whip something out of his back pocket, and it’s just like, “Whoa, that’s crazy.” And a female player I’ve always looked up to is Mallory Swanson. She’s amazing. I love her style of play and how fast she is. You mentioned Messi. Which team are you rooting for in the World Cup? For the U.S. Hopefully they make it far, but we’ll see. I like Spain or France, too, so hopefully they do well too—and Argentina. Do you have leagues you follow? The [National Women’s Soccer League] is really cool. I’m really into college soccer and just watching the collegiate level, seeing all those athletes just get better—that’s so exciting to me. Women’s sports are growing. What do you see for the future? I would love to see it just keep growing and realize that people also love women’s sports and love watching women compete at a very high level. I think that’s super important for anyone younger than me to see and have that perspective—just to know that you can do it. Tou can follow your dreams, and if you really want to be a college or professional athlete as a woman, then you totally can. If you weren’t playing soccer, is there another sport? That’s a good question. I really like softball, but I don’t know if I see myself playing softball. Maybe gymnastics—I think that would be really fun. Besides soccer, what did you like to do growing up? We went to the lake a lot, because that’s super common in Oklahoma. We did a lot of lake activities—swimming, boating. I love fishing and reading. What is your favorite book? I just finished the Housemaid series, and I really, really enjoyed that. I really like the mysterious, suspenseful books, but I’m also a hopeless romantic. A hopeless romantic who likes fishing? It’s just calming and relaxing to be out in the water, especially growing up around the water. It’s something that my family has done for the past couple of years. We’ve just gotten deep in that. Me and my cousin, who’s my best friend, would do it all the time. Kick Starter Brianna Castleberry went from a college soccer pitch to the Monterey Bay Sirens history book. By Celia Jiménez Monterey Bay Sirens newcomer Brianna Castleberry has expectations for the team. “It’s just been awesome to see how much of an impact we’ve made in the conference already,” she says. MONTEREY BAY FC Can’t Have Cats? How about sponsoring our next ad? Please call us at 831-200-9232 or email info@gocatrescue.org to learn more. Golden Oldies Cat Rescue www.gocatrescue.org 831•200•9232 Adopt Volunteer Foster Older Cats New Beginnings Mihla Want to meet Mihla? Please fill out our online adoption questionnaire. Things to love: approx. 8years old 69 pounds - female - Labrador Retriever mix Mihla's frosted coat hides pure sunshine. This trusty copilot loves car rides, long walks, and pointing out local flora and fauna on the trail. After 750+ days waiting, she's still hoping for her forever home where she can be the star. She prefers a cat free home. Ad Sponsored by Carolyn Martinez in Memory of Maragret Medrano If you’d like sponsor our next ad, please give us a call. 831-718-9122 | www.PeaceOfMindDogRescue.org P.O. Box 51554, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
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