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GREENSBORO — To lose with your best punch is one kind of pain, a momentary sting that it just wasn’t meant to be your night.

To lose with less than your full effort brings a much more complicated wound, the kind Western Guilford girls soccer head coach George Kennedy was struggling with after his team was trounced 8-0 by Jacksonville White Oak on Wednesday night in the 3-A state semifinals.

“To walk off the field you love with such a negative feeling,” Kennedy said, letting several seconds pass before completing his thought, “it’s tough. I’m hurting.”

The Hornets, who were dominant all season en route to an 18-1-2 record and yet another conference championship, never gave themselves a chance against the nationally-ranked and three-time defending state champ Vikings, who have now outscored their five postseason opponents 40-0.

Western fell behind 5 minutes into the game, then allowed another goal less than 10 minutes later.

Kennedy made two quick substitutions and wound up making four more, including some for his most reliable players, before the Hornets entered halftime down 3-0.

“I didn’t see sincere effort from good players,” Kennedy said. “I saw caution.”

It got worse after halftime. Stephanie Rose made it 4-0 just 7 minutes into the second half, Shelby Carroll scored off a cross less than 2 minutes later, and even when the Hornets got a decent chance from the top of the box on the ensuing possession, White Oak made the save, turned the ball upfield and scored just 15 seconds later.

Kennedy compared it to playing a game of make-it-take-it pickup basketball and never getting the ball back.

“If you’re guarding Michael Jordan or anybody, you get the thrill of playing defense against them, but you can’t take two steps and then stop playing them,” Kennedy said. “You have to have continuous movement.”

The two teams also met in last year’s regional final, which was tied 1-1 at halftime before White Oak pulled away for an 8-2 win.

Kennedy said he didn’t sense that result — or the Vikings’ 20-0 record or their three goals allowed this season — weighing on his players this week. But from the moment they took the field Wednesday, Kennedy said he sensed hesitation and a glaring lack of the emotion that made them so much fun to watch all season.

“Did they take that emotion from us? I don’t know. I’d like to be in a teenager’s head to find out,” Kennedy said. “But the game is 80 minutes. I’m not sure how many we played tonight.”

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com

Jacksonville White Oak 5 3 — 8
Western Guilford 0 0 — 0

Goals: White Oak — Stephanie Rose 4, Jodi Barber 2, Shelby Carroll 1. Assists: White Oak — Jodi Barber 2, Sierra Davis 2, Patrice Clarke 1, Stephanie Rose 1, Shelby Carroll 1. Shots: White Oak 37, Western Guilford 8. Saves: White Oak (Rea Segoviano) 6, Western Guilford (Natalie Stutts) 15.