Monterey Bay Sirens Host First Match at Cardinale Stadium, establishing a new soccer era in Monterey
SEASIDE, California (Saturday, May 11, 2026) – Monterey Bay Sirens played the franchise’s inaugural match against Stockton Cargo at Cardinale Stadium. A match that began the writing of a new history for the Monterey Bay Football Club organization and the entire 831 community.
Since the club’s announcement in January, the months of planning and in front of a crowd of over 2,000 fans, the wait was finally over to witness Monterey Bay’s new pre-professional club play the team’s first match in franchise history.
The Club is filled with players from within the Monterey community and beyond. Some of which have played in first-division colleges and have participated in professional organizations, but to some it was their first taste of playing in front of a crowd and presentation as professional as what was demonstrated on Saturday. From a full-game entertainment production, official walk-outs, a national anthem to post-game media interviews and autograph request, the Sirens put on a show and made sure that their call was heard across the bay.
The opponent, Stockton Cargo, who reached the Western Conference Final last season after winning the NorCal Division along with a 10-0-2 record (32 points), came into Seaside looking to start of the season with a win, but weren’t expecting the level of play that was demonstrated by the Sirens.
From the first whistle, both sides played tactical and aggressive soccer along with an electric atmosphere present at Cardinale Stadium. At the 38th minute of the first half, Sirens’ forward, Brianna Castleberry, would score the first goal of the club’s history by tapping in the ball in the back post after a diagonal pass by her teammate that would give the home team the lead at halftime.
“It’s so exciting to be part of this team because of what we just demonstrated on the field,” said Castleberry. “We’ve never played together before and despite that, we were able to set the tone for what we can do as a club. We showed tremendous strength, grit and tremendous potential for the future of this team.”
The energy was felt throughout the entire match, despite Stockton’s equalizing goal early in the second half by Maleah Evans at the 49th minute. Thunder sticks, noise makers, chants and more made Cardinale Stadium the place to be on Saturday night.
“This is a big moment for the history of our community, but more importantly in women’s sports,” said Monterey Bay Sirens head coach, Laura VanWart. “The [Sirens] players were able to tighten up the lines, show grit, get to tackles and just put on a good display of soccer despite most of them not knowing each other until today.”
The Monterey community came together in a powerful show of unity and enthusiasm, demonstrating its full support for the beginning of this exciting new chapter of women’s soccer in the 831, as fans, families, and local leaders embraced the opportunity to help grow the game and inspire the next generation of athletes.
Monterey Bay Sirens will hit the road to San Rafael this weekend with a match on Sunday against Marin FC at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific). The next home match will be on Saturday, May 30 in a doubleheader set of games at Cardinale Stadium with the Sirens playing Oakland Soul SC at 3:00 p.m. and then followed by the Monterey Bay FC first team game against Loudoun United FC at 7:00 p.m.