When two monsters mashed, no real damage was done.

Creighton’s match against St. Louis University ended in a 0-0 draw.

Not only was the game a top 25 matchup between No. 5 Creighton and No. 11 SLU, it was also a matchup of two regional No. 1 teams.

Creighton is ranked No. 1 in the Missouri Valley Conference and in the Midwest. SLU was ranked No. 1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference but dropped down to a tie for No. 2 after the draw.

Even though SLU and Creighton are only 435 miles apart, they rarely face off. This match, which was the first since 1999, held extra importance because the Jays were trying to defend their undefeated streak away from home, and SLU hoped to keep an unbeaten season alive.

SLU’s streak of 17 straight games without a loss extends into last season, with seven of those being draws. So far this season, the Billikens are 4-0-5, with the five ties the highest among all top 25 teams.

The Jays were trying to defend their own unbeaten streak. They are now 9-0-1 away from home, which extends back to the beginning of last season.

Creighton, 7-1-1, was subjected to its first draw and second overtime match of the season.

The Jays had some added incentives to play well. It was a homecoming of sorts for coach Bob Warming. He was the head coach at SLU from 1997 until 2000, returning for his second stint at Creighton in 2001. He was SLU’s coach during the last meeting in 1999. He said the return was a welcome one.

“It was good to see Danny Donigan,” Warming said. “Danny was my assistant coach when I was at SLU, and is the head coach there now. He has done a tremendous job as they are undefeated in their last 16 matches.”

For senior forward Tim Walters, the return to his own home town was an exciting opportunity.

“We definitely had a little extra motivation, of course, playing a top 10 team on the road, not to mention coach Warming once coached there and coach [Jason] Mims played there,” he said. “At the end of the day, we came out like any other game, hungry to get a win.”

It turned out to be more exciting than he had predicted.

“I think it got me a little too amped up for the game,” Walters said. “I was really excited to play SLU, so it took me longer than I’d like to settle into the game. But once I got that out of my system, I thought I played within myself and like I normally do.”

Though the Jays may not have played SLU in nine years, the team is familiar with the

Gateway City.

Last season, the Bluejays played in the St. Louis Nike Classic, where they beat then No. 2 Indiana, and Loyola Marymount. Warming decided not to mess with tradition on this trip.

“We stayed in the same hotel and ate at the same places, so everything was familiar to the returners,” Warming said.

The game proved to be the kind of matchup one would expect from two No. 1 teams.

“SLU has great tradition and history, and that is something we respected greatly,” Walters said. “More than anything, we knew they tied half their games. We didn’t want to sit back like some other teams did against them.”

Both teams had quality chances to score, but both keepers shined as they rejected their opponent’s attempts. Both teams ended up with eight total shots, but SLU ended up with five shots on goal, one more than Creighton.

The match was not a typical 0-0 draw.

“It was an intense opening 20 minutes, very back and forth,” Walters said. “It felt like an NCAA tournament game.”

“We knew it was going to be a great match,” Warming said. “Our team really competed for 110 minutes.”