Growing up in the Kavanagh household was not an easy task — with five boys and one girl all coming into their own while finding their athletic prowess.

Luckily for Kevin and Mary Kavanagh, the ages of their boys made it so that they could pair with one another. Kevin and Matt were the eldest, pairing at the hip at an early age before younger brother Brendan wanted to join.

“Brendan was just the younger guy trying to hang with us, but we thought we were too cool, so we’d just push him out of the way,” Matt Kavanagh said. “It was him just clawing at us trying to prove himself.”

Matt Kavanagh sat down with Paul Carcaterra on Season 4, Episode 10 of the “Overtime” podcast to talk about his family’s dynamics, from Kevin all the way down to the youngest sibling, Chris. You can listen to the episode now on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Kevin and Matt Kavanagh spent much of their time playing sports — football, baseball, hockey and lacrosse. Matt eventually found his footing in lacrosse, a sport that grabbed the attention of Brendan, too.

Brendan Kavanagh, two years younger than his brother, later attended Hofstra and overlapped with Matt’s career at Notre Dame. As both headed toward professional lacrosse, the youngest siblings were tearing up the high school lacrosse scene.

Pat and Chris Kavanagh, much like Kevin and Matt, were inseparable growing up on Long Island. They both watched their older brother succeed in college lacrosse and were inspired to follow in his footsteps at Notre Dame.

Now in 2021, Pat Kavanagh is realizing his potential, and his older brother is anxiously watching.

“I just try to relax and watch the game develop,” Matt Kavanagh told Carcaterra. “Having no control, it’s very nerve-wracking. Now that Pat’s having success, you just hope he stays healthy and he doesn’t get his head taken off too many times. You’re done watching the game, it’s like you just had a workout. I can’t imagine what my Dad went through watching me and Brendan play. I don’t know how he does it.”

Matt Kavanagh told Carcaterra he’s always been proud watching his younger siblings, but he thinks Chris, who currently plays at the Taft School (Conn.) could have the most potential of the entire family.

“He’s a pure goal scorer,” he said of his brother. “He has a great shot and he can dodge to get his own shot. He’s taken bits and pieces of my game, Brendan’s game and Pat’s game. I feel like the youngest are always the best, and he’s taken that and ran with it.”