SAN FRANCISCO — For a team that hasn't seen a soccer pitch in November for a number of years, a rare playoff appearance by the Middletown High School boys squad was the perfect way to end the Mustangs' roller-coast-of-a-ride 2021 season.

Middletown closed it out Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to No. 6 seed Gateway in the opening round of the North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The 11th-seeded Mustangs posted winning league and overall records this season, one that began with Michael Dodd as their first-year head coach until he resigned for personal reasons in mid-September. Another first-year coach, Roxi Hoogendoorn, took the Mustangs the rest of the way.

Middletown scoring and other game details were not reported. The Mustangs finish 10-7-1.

Gateway (8-5-4) advances to the quarterfinal round and will play No. 3 seed Head-Royce (12-1-1) Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Mills College in Oakland.