WPL Week 7 offered two tight games and two blowouts. 

Life West won, but it appears they've come back down to Earth, only just squeezing by Berkeley. San Diego, as expected, trampled ORSU, while Beantown scored a massive two-point win over Twin Cities. And finally, we can officially jot down Atlanta as a bonafide contender after their walloping victory over New York. 

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Here's how it went down:

Berkeley All Blues vs Life West Gladiatrix

The Gladiatrix gritted out a tough, defensive battle with the All Blues, winning 15-14. 

With Glendale right on Life West's heels in the standings, this win was massive for them in terms of maintaining first place. Berkeley was in need of a win, and nearly did enough to get the job done. It just wasn't quite meant to be. 

The All Blues opened the scoring in the 4th minute, making the most of a left-hand scrum on the halfway line. They spun the ball out to inside center Evan Hoese, who threw a beautiful dummy to open a gap for herself. 

She then pinned the fullback and released a perfect pass to fullback Bulou Mataitoga, who took it with pace and raced to the endzone untouched for the score. Samantha Miller slotted the conversion and it was 7-0 All Blues early. 

In the 31st minute, Life West responded, taking advantage of turnover ball deep inside their own half. 

An errant pass from Berkeley saw the ball hit the deck, and Life West were quick to pounce on it. One phase later the ball got to flyhalf Sara Parsons, who made a step inside and found WPL leading try-scorer Sisileti Hingano running one of her trademark support lines for an offload. 

Hingano took care of the rest. She burst through three arm tackles, danced around the fullback, and then outran the covering defense 50 meters to the tryline. It was another wonderful try from the electric fullback. The conversion was missed and the score was 7-5 Berkeley. 

Minutes later Life West scored again, and this one was an absolute clinic. 

Straight from the kickoff, the Gladiatrix got right into phase play, with scrumhalf Nikki Kenyon expertly running the show. They went right, they went up the middle, they went left, they went back up the middle. The momentum had Berkeley constantly on the back foot. 

Huge carries came from Catie Benson, Nene Persinger, and Amy Bonte, allowing Kenyon to operate with quick ball. On the tenth phase, and after having gained nearly 60 meters of ground, the ball was spun out wide to No. 8 Hope Rogers. 

As she often does, Rogers used her combination of speed and power to scoot around the last defender and dot down in the whitewash to lift her side to a 10-7 lead with five minutes to go in the half. 

On the stroke of halftime, Berekley regained the lead on the back of a patient, 14-phase build up to the go-ahead try. 

The All Blues slowly worked their way down the field until eventually lock Allison Byrne punched over with a pick and drive. Miller again converted to make the score 14-10. 

The second half featured only one try, but it was another brilliant piece of skill. Life West flyhalf Sara Parsons made a sweet step off her right foot through a hole before using some eagle-eye vision to spot replacement center Hali Deters out wide.  

Parsons zipped a perfect pass to Deters, and the center took it home for the try. It went unconverted again, but Life West were back in the lead with just under 20 minutes remaining. 

The All Blues looked sure to take the lead back in the 70th minute, but some heroic goal line defense from Life west kept out the pick and drives at the line. Ultimately Life West held up Berkeley in goal and subsequently turned over possession at the scrum to get out of danger. 

Berkeley had one last chance to score, when flanker Roseline Okpara bust loose up the sideline and looked like she was off to the races. But just five meters shy of the line, a diving, one-handed effort from Life West's Persinger got ahold of Okpara's shorts and dragged her into touch. 

That's as close as the All Blues would get, though, and the pivotal showdown between Northern California's top dogs went the way of Life West for the second time this season. 

Berkeley - 14

Tries: Mataitoga, Byrne

Convs: Miller 2

Life West - 15

Tries: Hingano, Rogers, Deters

San Diego Surfers vs ORSU Jesters

The Surfers avoided a three-game losing skid with a 58-0 drubbing of ORSU. 

The bonus point win keeps San Diego in the hunt, but at this point their playoff hopes look slim. ORSU meanwhile continues to have a tough season. At this stage it's about salvaging some pride and hopefully ending the year with some momentum for next season. 

The Surfers ran in 10 tries on the afternoon, led by four from wing Teigan MacDonald. Center Kanausha Thompson, lock Jaime Albarelli, wing Tiffany Tate, replacement center Akalaini Baravilala, fullback Megan Foster, and center Kimberly Rozier also scored tries of their own. 

The Surfers will take on Life West next week, trying to stay alive in the playoff hunt. 

San Diego - 58

Tries: Thompson, MacDonald (4), Tate, Albarelli, Baravailala, Foster, Rozier

Convs: Foster (4)

ORSU - 0

New York Rugby Club vs Atlanta Harlequins

The Atlanta Harlequins won their fifth straight contest on Sunday, and it's clear they are a force to be reckoned with after handing a strong New York side a 51-12 hiding. 

It was all Atlanta from start to finish. Scrumhalf Bridget Kahele opened the scoring in the 9th minute with a try, which flyhalf Corrine Heavner converted. Winger Kelli Smith scored a try of her own, also converted, and Heavner booted over a penalty goal to stake the Quins to a 17-0 halftime lead. 

USA Eagle prop Megan Rom crossed over for a converted try two minutes after the break, before New York finally responded with a score of their own through center Dana Alimena in the 51st minute. 

No. 8 Cortney Kuehl answered back with a try, and then Kelli Smith scored her second on the day to extend their lead to 41-7 in the 65th minute. 

Substitute Harlequins winger Monique Compito notched her fifth try of the year in the 68th minute, and then Heavner capped off another great kicking day with a drop goal in the 78th minute. 

New York got one last try before the final whistle, with Francesca Sands going in for her first ever WPL try. It wouldn't be nearly enough, however, with Atlanta making a thunderous 51-12 statement win.

New York - 12

Tries: Alimena, Sands

Convs: Richardson

Atlanta - 51

Tries: Kahele, Smith (2), Rom, Alimena, Kuehl, Compito

Convs: Heavner (5)

Pens: Heavner 

Drop Goals: Heavner

Twin Cities Amazons vs Beantown RFC 

Beantown picked up a huge win Sunday on the road against Twin Cities, 22-20, in a back and forth affair. 

The win was massive for Beantown, who have been struggling to score points lately, and looked to be trending away from the playoff picture. 

The bonus point loss was not the worst result for the Amazons who, despite owning the same record as Beantown, sit three points ahead in the standings and own second place in the WPL East. 

Beantown, who have failed to score more than 12 points since Round 1, got on the board first with a try from center Rosana Wright in the third minute. Tatjana Toeldte converted for the 7-0 lead. 

Toeldte added a penalty five minutes later, and Beantown were off to a great start, leading 10-0. 

The Zons got their first points in the 23rd minute with a Danica Mooney-Jones penalty kick. They scored again at the half hour mark when Kaelene Lundstrom scored her 7th try of the season. But, for the first time in two games, a Twin Cities try went unconverted and the score remained 10-8 Beantown going into halftime. 

Eight minutes into the second stanza, Mooney-Jones scored a try, and then again in the 63rd minute the winger dotted down and converted to push Twin Cities to a 20-10 lead with just over a quarter of an hour left. 

But that's when Beantown dug in and kept their season alive. 

They started the comeback with a penalty try in the 73rd minute to bring the score to 20-17. The penalty try also yielded a yellow card to Zons scrumhalf Rachel Lentsch, which was a costly loss for Twin Cities. 

Just before the final whistle, Beantown winger Allison Martin scored a game-winning, and potentially season-saving try for the Beanies. 

Because they've been unable to accrue much in the way of bonus points throughout the year, Beantown still sit three points back of Twin Cities for second place. But if they win out they have a good shot and claiming one of the two playoff spots in the East. 

Twin Cities - 20

Tries: Lundstrom, Mooney-Jones (2)

Convs: Mooney-Jones

Pens: Mooney-Jones

Beantown - 22

Tries: Wright, Penalty Try, Martin

Convs: Toeldte

Pens: Toeldte