“It’s all I know how to do”: How Matt Kavanagh stepped up in big moments
By Joe Keegan
PLL Analyst
May 4, 2025
On June 19, 2016, the Denver Outlaws dropped to 2-6. Less than two years removed from the organization’s first MLL title, they were on the verge of their first-ever sub-.500 season.
Hall of Fame defenseman Lee Zink rode off into the sunset following the 2014 title. Goalie Jesse Schwartzman retired after 2015. Faceoff specialist Anthony Kelly was traded to Chesapeake.
The roster was already hardly recognizable. And then nine days later, they traded Hall of Famer John Grant Jr. to the Ohio Machine for backup goalie Adam Fullerton and a 2017 second-round pick.
“That was definitely a shock,” Matt Kavanagh recalls. “I think a lot of guys thought that was a throwing in the towel moment.”
Kavanagh – the Outlaws’ first-round pick in the 2016 MLL Draft – was a rookie running out of the box at the time. He was averaging 2.7 points per game and shooting 18.2%, trying to find his role in the Outlaws’ offense and figure out the pro game.
The Grant Jr. trade was partially made to do right by the 41-year-old legend, giving him a chance to chase a(nother) ring in what he had intended would be his final season. But it was also made to accelerate Kavanagh’s growth.
Down the stretch, Kavanagh dominated. Back at his natural lefty attack position, he averaged 4.0 points per game and shot 38.9% in his final six games. He thrived in the increased role. The Outlaws had invested a first-round pick in him; so, continuing the organization’s standard of excellence was the only option in his mind.
“What I always tried to do was prove people right,” Kavanagh said. “Whether that was Coach [Kevin] Corrigan recruiting me to Notre Dame or Coach [Tony] Seaman and BJ O’Hara picking me with the Outlaws. I was more, ‘I don’t want to let you down’ than looking to prove people wrong.”
Kavanagh was the face of a massive Outlaws rookie class featuring Wes Berg (Denver), Jack Kelly (Brown), BJ Grill (Marquette), Tim Barber (Syracuse), Bailey Tills (Brown), Nick Ossello (Notre Dame) and Tommy Kelly (Virginia).
“We had guys all over the field who were put in position to take that next step a little bit quicker,” Kavanagh said. “BJ Grill – he was our No. 1 cover guy. He would guard Jordan Wolf, Rob Pannell, Steele Stanwick. That was a lot to ask.”
Jack Kelly saved 41.7% of shots in his first two career starts, then stopped 59.8% during the month of July.
The Outlaws finished the season on a six-game winning streak, putting them in a six-way tie (!) for first place with the Rochester Rattlers, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Charlotte Hounds, New York Lizards, Boston Cannons and Ohio Machine.
Untangling tiebreaker scenarios was a nightmare. With only four playoff spots, two teams’ seasons would end while tied for first. Ohio claimed the No. 1 seed based on the best overall head-to-head record. Denver earned the No. 2 seed based on their head-to-head against the rest of the field. New York and Charlotte earned the remaining spots; Rochester and Chesapeake got nothing.
Kavanagh scored a game-high five goals in the semifinals, sending the reigning champion New York Lizards home, 20-17.
That performance was what college lacrosse fans had come to expect from Kavanagh: his absolute best when it mattered most. The all-time postseason record book is covered with Kavanagh’s name. First all-time in postseason assists. Second all-time in postseason points. Fourth all-time in postseason goals.
“There’s a competitive instinct in me,” Kavanagh said. “It’s all I know how to do.”
Against all odds, the 2016 Outlaws returned to the MLL Championship, against none other than Grant Jr.’s Ohio Machine.
The Outlaws had more rookies (eight) than returning starters from the 2014 team (five). Eric Law, Jeremy Sieverts, Drew Snider, Matt Bocklet and Michael Simon carried the torch for the Outlaws culture.
Ohio took a 9-3 lead before a 90-minute lightning halfway through the second quarter. In a microcosm of the Outlaws’ season, they had an opportunity to regroup with their backs against the wall, a group of veteran leaders and a rookie Matt Kavanagh who wanted to prove his front office right.
Kavanagh (3G, 2A), Law (5G, 3A) and Snider (3G, 1T, 1A) went score-for-score with one of the greatest offenses of all-time, featuring Grant Jr., Tom Schreiber, Marcus Holman, Kyle Harrison, Stanwick and Peter Baum.
Knotted at 18-18, Law buried the game-winning goal with 13 seconds remaining.
After nine professional seasons, Kavanagh has announced his retirement from professional lacrosse. Every time he stepped on the field during his career, he played with that same fire from 2016. He led the Outlaws back to the title game in 2017 for a rematch with Ohio and then helped them win their third title in club history in 2018.
When the PLL formed, Kavanagh joined Redwoods LC. And he continued to compete the only way he knew how. Whether they needed to overcome a 7-point score differential in their final regular-season game to avoid elimination or they trailed 9-2 in the Championship game, he never quit.
When the Boston Cannons traded for Kavanagh following the 2022 season, he wanted to guarantee that head coach and general manager Brian Holman won the trade. On June 17, 2023, Kavanagh scored the game-winning goal against Chrome LC — securing the Cannons’ first win in 376 days and first-ever under Holman.
He scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the 2024 Championship Series finale. Even in his ninth professional season, Kavanagh seemed born for the Sixes format.
Shooting overhand and developing your weak hand are often viewed as the fundamentals of lacrosse. You could argue that being able to play in the gray is a fundamental skill in lacrosse; maybe the fundamental skill. And few players have ever found as much success in the gray as Matt Kavanagh.
When the play breaks down or the ball hits the ground, you want to be the one who chose Matt Kavanagh to be on your side. Because he’d do everything in his power to prove you right.
