Paris Axam: Persistence paying off in Tigers’ season

When the Dalhousie University Tigers women’s soccer team needs a clutch goal or a leader, Paris Axam steps up.

This season, Axam, a fourth-year arts and social sciences student from Ottawa, recorded five goals and six assists over 12 games, ranking third in the Atlantic University Sport for assists and total points. Axam’s play this season has helped propel the Tigers to a 10-1-1 regular season record, earning her a spot on the AUS all-star first team. 

“I feel like as a team we’ve really strived to always be bringing something to the field,” she says. “If you can’t perform your best, you’re uplifting people … or you’re giving it your all on every tackle.”

Coming into her fourth season with the Tigers, Axam didn’t expect to change positions. After defending on the backline of the roster in her first three seasons, Axam took on a new challenge this year: leading the Tigers’ offensive core as a striker. 

She says her teammates helped her adjust to the new role.

“There was definitely a learning curve,” says Axam. “I was figuring out how to play and adapt, but I had an amazing team that was so forgiving of my mistakes and my learning.”

Cindy Tye, head coach of the Dal women’s soccer team, says Axam’s adaptability is a testament to her leadership.

“We moved her into the attacking position this year, and she’s obviously adjusted very well,” Tye says. 

After finishing the regular season at the top of the AUS standings, the Tigers headed to Cape Breton University last weekend for the 2025 AUS women’s soccer championships. Ultimately, the Memorial University Sea-Hawks defeated the Tigers in penalty kicks after a hard-fought semi-final. 

The Tigers’ only loss of the regular season came in a 2-1 match against the University of New Brunswick. Axam says the loss was a “character building moment” for the team.

“One game does not define who you are as a team,” she said. “One slip-up, missed tackle or missed shot does not define who you are as a player.” 

As she looks towards the end of her time in black and gold, Axam hopes to inspire resilience in the team’s younger players. 

“I think the important thing is not to get down when bad things happen at the beginning and to see that you have so much time ahead of you,” she says.