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 the 2022 season, it has been a conference matchup in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). Both programs had been single-sport members of

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are l ...

(C-USA) from 2005 through the 2021 season. Both teams are the only colleges in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) which sponsor men's soccer, which the conference does not sponsor as an indirect consequence of Title IX restrictions. South Carolina had started its program in 1978 while an independent, and UK started its program in 1991. From 1991 to 2004, UK had been a Mid-American Conference (MAC) member for men's soccer only. Despite having joined the

Metro Conference The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members did n ...

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''. Prior to the establishment of the formal derby in 2005, Kentucky had a rivalry with Vanderbilt, when the

Vanderbilt Commodores men's soccer The Vanderbilt Commodores men's soccer represented Vanderbilt University in NCAA Division I men's college soccer competitions. The Commodores played as an associate member of the Missouri Valley Conference through 2005. The program was droppe ...

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 The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...

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. Both Carolina and UK won two C-USA tournament titles before moving to the SBC.

Results

Kentucky vs. South Carolina

† = CUSA Tournament game
‡ = SBC 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).

Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt

South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt

List of champions

Championships by school

^† on hiatus

References

External links

Kentucky Men's Soccer

South Carolina Men's Soccer
{{DEFAULTSORT:SEC Derby Sun Belt Conference men's soccer Southeastern Conference soccer College soccer rivalries in the United States Kentucky Wildcats men's soccer South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer Vanderbilt Commodores men's soccer 1991 establishments in Kentucky 1991 establishments in South Carolina 1991 establishments in Tennessee 2000 disestablishments in Tennessee