NATCHITOCHES -- Jacqueline Manza slips on her pink wristband and ties her pink headband before each game in October.
 
The wristband reads "Mom 8/9/09" -- the day Jacqueline lost mom Jeanne to breast cancer.
 
After she laces up her soccer cleats (the left one has "Mom" written on a stripe with a heart beside it), she'll add a pink jersey Sunday as Northwestern State hosts Southeastern at 1 p.m. in its annual 'Fork Cancer' game to raise awareness for breast cancer.
 
It's a reminder she's not playing alone.
 
"When I look at these things, I literally just picture her face with a smile on it," said Jacqueline, who has 'Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Joe' written on the stripes of her right cleat. "I look up at the sky. I know she watches over me, helps me do well.
 
"I go through a bunch of emotions. Mom fought breast cancer for four years. It makes me feel like I need to fight for a win or to go get the ball. Every time I look at it, I'm doing this for her. I've got to make her proud, so I do the best I can."
 
Jacqueline keeps two notes from her mom, one written when Jacqueline was born and the other before her mom died as Jacqueline entered the seventh grade.
 
Both emphasize the importance of dreaming.
 
"Dream my dear daughter, for dreams do come true," recites Jacqueline, who has a foot tattoo that reads 'Never stop dreaming' in her mother's handwriting. "I'll always remember her telling me to do that.
 
"She was a constantly happy woman that encouraged me to chase my dreams."
 
The Toms River, New Jersey, native has already realized one of her dreams by playing Division I soccer.
 
The sophomore forward carved out a role in NSU's offensive rotation, playing chunks of time as a reserve in 12 of NSU's 15 games after appearing in 14 matches as a freshman. Manza has three goals and two assists in her career, including one assist on a goal this past season that beat Sam Houston State with 10 seconds left in double overtime.
 
"My club coach always told me to stop emailing D-I schools, told me I wasn't going to make it," said Manza, who connected with NSU coach George Van Linder at a summer camp in Florida. "It was such an accomplishment for me to have George just show interest.
 
"Being on the team was one dream, getting playing time was another dream. It makes me feel like I'm wanted and I have a purpose. It's something I wish my mom was here to be able to celebrate with me, but I know she's definitely really proud."
 
Jacqueline's father, Frank, celebrates enough for two parents. He's pulled double duty as a parent, accompanying a younger Jacqueline on play dates, which evolved into shopping for prom dresses and throwing Sweet 16 parties.
 
"I had to learn how to do that stuff, including the cooking and the cleaning," Frank said. "Jacqueline and my son Frank, Jr. (now 11), had to grow up a lot quicker than they should have.
 
"But she learned how to be self-reliant. There's a lot involved in being a soccer player and college student, especially being so far away. But when she sets her sights on something, there's no getting in her way."
 
Just like her mom.
 
Frank said Jeanne was determined to minimize the effect of breast cancer on her family, leading the most normal life possible.
 
"She swore she wouldn't let her kids see her that way," Frank said. "If God forbid something did happen, she didn't want our young kids to remember her being sick and lying around.
 
"On many occasions, my daughter turns the switch on, and I can see my wife. My wife was the type of person that would give you the shirt off her back -- just don't mess with her. Jeanne would get her 'Bronx' up, and even though (Jacqueline) wasn't born or raised there, she got her mom's attitude. But on the other hand, there's no more compassionate people than those two."
 
One of Jacqueline's most powerful memories is playing Barbies with her mom.
 
Jacqueline never dragged Frank into the Barbie world, but the pair's relationship strengthened after an admittedly rough patch following Jeanne's death.
 
"It was my fault. I didn't blame (my dad), but I was scared to lose him, too, so I didn't want to get close to him," said Jacqueline, who now considers her dad her best friend. "We talk every day.

"He opened my eyes to how much he struggles and how much he does for my brother and I."
 
Frank said he had to "learn how to walk on eggshells" raising a then-teenage Jacqueline without her mom, but he credits Jacqueline with the strength that held the family together.

"I idolize both my wife and my daughter. I want half the strength that both of them have toward anything," Frank said. "There were a lot of times I wanted to give up, but I couldn't do it because of my kids. They pulled me through the tough times.
 
"Her brother took it the hardest the first time we had to leave her in Natchitoches. That was his role model who had always looked out for him. We've been walking around on one foot because the other foot's not there every day anymore."
 
Jacqueline had plenty of help, having other family members such as Auntie Barbara ("Mommy number two"), Aunt JoJo and Aunt Maria to provide female guidance.
 
Especially soon after her mom's death, Jacqueline leaned on the family of childhood friend Alyssa Dell'Acqua, who developed a bond with Jacqueline through club soccer from age nine and wore a pink jersey in honor of Jeanne throughout high school despite going to a rival school in New Jersey.
 
"(The Dell'Acquas) are considered a second family … and (Alyssa) offered her mom Denise as a second mom," Jacqueline said. "My aunts do things that moms do with their daughters -- hang out, bake cookies, go shopping and all that."
 
Frank knew his daughter was moving away for college as soon as they set foot on Northwestern State's campus.
 
"We visited many schools, but when she got there, I saw her face light up," Frank said. "She saw the football stadium, the small town, and she loved the warmth of the people on our visit.
 
"But I wasn't overly concerned about her moving two days away from me because of how she is. She was prepared."
 
Along with soccer, Jacqueline was intrigued by NSU's nursing program. Being in and out of hospitals with her mother, she witnessed "how much nurses could affect your mood."
 
In addition to her mother's notes, Jacqueline smiles when remembering her mother singing "You Are My Sunshine" while cradling her in a rocking chair.
 
Jacqueline didn't know that the iconic tune was one of Louisiana's official state songs written in 1939 by soon-to-be governor Jimmie Davis.
 
"Maybe that's why I came to Louisiana."