“She can be the difference maker”: Azzi Fudd gets high praise from American former soccer star Merritt Mathias

Three-time NWSL champion and winner of three NWSL Shields, Merritt Mathias, believes Azzi Fudd was the most instrumental piece for the 2025 NCAA tournament winners. Appearing on TurboTax's "Sports Are Fun" show on Friday, she not only lauded Fudd as a crucial piece in UConn's success but also highlighted the guard's ability to rise up from adversities.

"If she is healthy and stays healthy, she will be the difference maker in them going far in the tournament and I believe she was," she said. "You don't find confidence and you don't find the momentum and you don't find that version of yourself unless you've gone through adversity.

"And she had gone through it. And to see her have that moment, to have a performance like she did in the final - I just couldn't be happier for her."

Azzi Fudd might not have had the best scoring year for UConn this season but probably had the most impactful one. She started out slow, posting double-digit numbers in only two of the first nine games. The guard also gave fans a scare when she faced a knee injury.

However, after Geno Auriemma asked the crew to step up in light of Paige Bueckers' injury in January, Fudd posted back-to-back 20-point games. This included her first-ever game at home in Washington.

Fudd also showed out in both of the Huskies' games against the defending champions, South Carolina. She helped separate UConn itself from a five-year losing streak against the Gamecocks, scoring 28 points, five rebounds and two assists on 11-of-22 shooting.

The sharpshooter also led Auriemma's crew in the championship game, scoring 24 points, five rebounds and three steals on 52.9% efficiency.

---

Azzi Fudd will return to UConn for one last run

Azzi Fudd has enough in her stock to have her name called in the 2025 WNBA draft. However, the guard will return to UConn. Fudd was contemplating her next step in her professional journey when a conversation with coach Geno Auriemma helped her solidify her decision.

'I would say 10 games maybe you've played to your full potential of who Azzi Fudd really is and so you wouldn't do yourself justice leaving,'" Fudd recalled Auriemma saying this (via ESPN in March). "You would leave here not doing what you could in a UConn uniform.' I was like, 'Yeah, he has a point.'"

The 2025-26 season will be Fudd's last college season. Her role and responsibilities can change drastically in the upcoming year as UConn will be led by sophomore Sarah Strong instead of Paige Bueckers.