The SEC Derby is the set of matches between the Kentucky Wildcats (UK) and South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer programs, respectively representing the University of Kentucky and University of South Carolina. Since 2005, it has been a conference match in Conference USA (C-USA). Both teams are the only colleges in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) who sponsor men's soccer, which is not sponsored by the conference due to Title IX restrictions. South Carolina had started their program in 1978 while an independent, and UK started their program in 1991.[1][2] Since 2005, both programs compete as associate members of C-USA. From 1991 to 2004, UK had been a Mid-American Conference (MAC) member for men's soccer only. Despite having joined the Metro Conference in 1983, South Carolina continued to play men's soccer as an independent, not joining for that sport until 1993, two years after the rest of its athletic program had joined the SEC. The Gamecocks also played in the Metro in that league's final men's soccer season of 1994. The following year, C-USA was created with the merger of the Metro with the Great Midwest Conference, a league that had been formed in 1991 by a group of schools that included three charter Metro members. South Carolina was not invited to remain as a men's soccer member after the merger.
The matches between the two teams have also been nicknamed The Southeastern Conference Men's Soccer Championship.[3]
Prior to the establishment of the formal derby in 2005, Kentucky had a rivalry with Vanderbilt, when the Vanderbilt Commodores men's soccer program was active. When the UK–Vanderbilt rivalry was first played in 1991, Vanderbilt was a men's soccer independent, later becoming a single-sport member of the Sun Belt Conference for the 1995 and 1996 seasons and the Missouri Valley Conference from 1997 until the school dropped men's soccer after the 2005 season. The last UK–Vanderbilt match was played in 2000. South Carolina did not regularly schedule Vanderbilt at the time, as they had primarily been independent (except for the final two years of the Metro's existence); in 2005, South Carolina's return to the reunified C-USA led to UK joining that league.[4]
The two schools have combined for three conference tournament titles since rejoining C-USA.
† = CUSA Tournament game
↑ = NCAA Tournament game†
¶ = 0-0 game in knockout tournament decided on penalties. The official score is Kentucky 0 (0), South Carolina 0 (3).
^Shirley, Brittany (September 29, 2018). "UK to Contest SEC Men's Soccer Championship v South Carolina". ukathletics.com. Retrieved November 26, 2018. On paper it's round three of Kentucky's Conference USA slate, but in colloquial terms Saturday's matchup will be the Southeastern Conference Men's Soccer Championship game.
