Janae Schwan scored four goals and four assists in her first season at Dominican University of California. Anthony Stainer led the men's team with 11 points last year and carried a 3.8 GPA. Both are seniors, both play on the newly resurfaced Kennelly Field in San Rafael, and both say soccer shaped everything about their college paths.

The university profiled the two players on Sept. 9 as the NCAA Division II Penguins push through their 2026 PacWest Conference schedules.

Schwan, a kinesiology major from Sonoma County, transferred to Dominican after her previous school suddenly eliminated its athletics program. Dominican was her third college. She played all 20 games in her first Penguin season, and her 23 shots on goal ranked third in program single-season history.

"Being at my third school was crazy, but I just wanted to make the most of it," Schwan said. She called her teammates "really special" and credited the group's bond for helping her settle in quickly.

She helped the women's team post a 9-2-9 record in 2025 and reach the PacWest Tournament championship game on Nov. 15, 2025, at Point Loma Nazarene University. The Penguins finished as runner-up. About a dozen seniors graduated after that run, leaving Schwan as one of the veteran voices on a younger roster.

Off the field, Schwan is pursuing physical therapy. She completed an internship with a personal trainer last fall and a second at a physical therapy practice over the summer. Kinesiology Program Director Megan Toma, her academic advisor, has guided her through graduate-program applications. This semester, Schwan is fitting physics into her course load alongside the soccer schedule.

Stainer, a business administration major with a finance concentration and a sports management minor, grew up in Napa and played three varsity sports at Vintage High School. A Dominican coach contacted him during his senior year at Vintage, and his first campus visit sold him.

He earned a regular starting role in 2024, appearing in 17 matches with 13 starts, two goals and four assists. As a junior in 2025, he played 705 minutes at midfielder and led the Penguins with four goals and three assists. He earned Academic All-PacWest honors with a 3.8 GPA, according to the conference's 2025-26 academic report.

Through the early 2026 games, Stainer had a goal and two assists, the Press Democrat reported on Sept. 4.

Several Dominican players coach with Marin Football Club, a Marin County youth soccer organization whose teams train on Dominican's fields. Stainer said the connection goes both ways, noting that Marin FC kids come to watch Penguin games.

Both players will compete on Kennelly Field's new surface this season. Stainer, who played on the old turf for three years, welcomed the upgrade.

"I won't miss it. When you fell, it was rough on the skin. This new surface is so much better," he said.

The women's team fell 2-4 to Cal State East Bay on Sept. 14 in Hayward. They next play at Jessup University in Rocklin on Saturday, Sept. 19 at noon. The men travel to Jessup on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 4:30 p.m. The women's next scheduled home game at Kennelly Field is Wednesday, Oct. 7 against Biola at 12:30 p.m.