LINCOLN, NEB. ? Jenna Cooper loved NASCAR, soccer and mechanical engineering.

But most of all the University of Nebraska soccer standout loved life itself, more than 500 mourners at a memorial service held in the third floor plaza of Memorial Stadium were told Tuesday.

“We know she’s in heaven shooting 60 mph shots at some unsuspecting goalkeeper,” Nebraska soccer coach John Walker said.

Cooper, 21, died Sunday night after being shot in the neck outside her Lincoln home following an argument at a party.

An emotional Steve Pederson, NU athletic director, said the gathering was meant to celebrate Cooper’s life. It started just minutes after Lucky Iromuanya, 22, of Lincoln, was arraigned on charges of second-degree murder in the shooting.

Iromuanya also was charged with attempted second-degree murder for shooting 22-year-old Nolan Jenkins at the same party, which was being held at Cooper’s home to celebrate the end of the spring soccer season.

Pederson said Cooper was the soul of Nebraska soccer.

Lindsey Ingram, Cooper’s roommate and also a member of the soccer team, said she was as close to perfect as anyone she ever had met.

“She had a zest for everything that was life,” Ingram said. “To know Jenna is to love Jenna.”

Walker, often referring to Cooper in the present tense, said she was a rare talent who was always the first at practice, worked hard and inspired those around her.

“She really was the ultimate teammate,” he said.

John Ballard, associate dean of the College of Engineering and Technology, said she also was a dedicated student who would have been a successful mechanical engineer.

In addition to Cooper’s teammates and family, hundreds of others were at the memorial, including head football coach Bill Callahan and a number of other athletes and coaches from other sports.

Two large color pictures of Cooper playing soccer stood at the front of the room, surrounded by flowers and a single burning white candle.

Walker presented Cooper’s parents with her framed No. 3 Nebraska soccer uniform. He then asked the audience to stand up and “raise the roof” one more time for Cooper.

“There was nowhere else that Jenna ever gave a thought of going other than to Nebraska,” her mother, Ellen Cooper, said when the cheers ended.

Cooper, a junior from Louisville, Ky., majored in mechanical engineering, and was a three-year starter for the Cornhuskers and one of the top defenders in the Big 12 Conference.

She earned first team All-Big 12 honors in 2003, and also helped lead Nebraska to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Cooper is survived by her parents, William and Ellen Cooper, and her older brother, Billy.

Funeral services were tentatively set for Friday in Louisville.